Global Coordination of Atmospheric Electricity Measurements (GloCAEM)

众所周知，地球有一个“全球大气电路”(GEC)，雷暴中的电荷分离通过这个电路维持着围绕地球的大范围电流流动。GEC产生的大气电场是全球存在的，在晴朗的天气条件下，通常在地表附近为100V/m。电场测量已被证明包括有关全球雷暴活动、当地气溶胶浓度和云量以及空间气象环境变化的信息。最近的研究还表明，大气电性变化可能是有效的地震前兆，而且对放射性物质的释放很敏感，2011年福岛灾难就证明了这一点。国家空间研究中心目前的一项独立研究奖学金题为“了解高能粒子对大气过程的影响”，它还研究了一种机制，即GEC中的垂直气流可以影响层云微物理，从而提供了一种途径，即空间天气变化可以通过大气电来改变对流层天气过程。GEC的全球性意味着，为了在理解电路内的过程时考虑真正的全球信号，必须在世界各地的不同位置进行许多验证测量。到目前为止，还没有真正的全球大气电气量测量网络存在，因此，鉴于目前参与大气电气量监测的小组越来越多，这样的建议是及时的。该项目将把这些专家聚集在一起，为建立一个有效的全球FW大气电力监测网络迈出第一步。该项目的一个具体目标将是建立第一个近乎实时的国际FW大气电场数据的现代档案，以便能够直接和有力地进行全球大气电学研究。网络成员之间的直接交流将由雷丁大学在项目开始和结束时主办的两个讲习班促进。其中第一项将促进对测量实践和仪器的讨论，并建立记录和存档程序，以标准化的、易于获取的格式将电场数据存档。CEDA-BADC已同意支持建立一个数据储存库和一名数据管理员，受雇于雷丁大学，负责CEDA-BADC与项目合作伙伴之间的沟通，以上传数据。在科学目标方面，国际和平研究所将牵头调查空间天气对存储在数据库中的电场测量的影响。在过去的三个太阳周期中，将使用包括超新纪元分析在内的统计技术来检查太阳耀斑、日冕物质抛射和日球层洋流横跨等事件影响的证据。在第二次讲习班期间，还将编写一份同行评议出版物的提纲，介绍网络和数据储存库的详细情况以及初步的科学发现。这将成为所有项目合作伙伴联合出版的基础，并将有助于向更广泛的科学界宣传该网络。

It is well established that Earth has a "Global atmospheric Electric Circuit" (GEC), through which charge separation in thunderstorms sustains large scale current flow around the planet. The GEC generates an atmospheric electric field which is present globally, and is typically 100V/m near the surface in fair weather conditions. Measurements of electric field have been shown to include information about global thunderstorm activity, local aerosol concentrations and cloud cover, as well as changes in the space weather environment. Recent work has also suggested that atmospheric electrical changes may be effective as earthquake precursors, as well as being sensitive to release of radioactivity, as evidenced by the Fukushima disaster in 2011. A current NERC Independent Research Fellowship entitled "Understanding energetic particle effects on atmospheric processes" also investigates a mechanism by which vertical current flow in the GEC can affect layer cloud microphysics, thereby providing a route by which space weather changes can alter tropospheric weather processes through atmospheric electricity. The global nature of the GEC means that in order that truly global signals are considered in understanding the processes within the circuit, many validating measurements must be made at different locations around the world. To date, no genuinely global network of FW atmospheric electricity measurements has ever existed, therefore, given the growing number of groups now involved in atmospheric electricity monitoring, such a proposal is timely. This project will bring these experts together to make the first steps towards an effective global network for FW atmospheric electricity monitoring. A specific objective of the project will be to establish the first modern archive of international FW atmospheric electric field data in close to real time to allow global studies of atmospheric electricity to be straightforwardly and robustly performed.Direct communication between network members will be facilitated by two workshops, hosted by the University of Reading towards the beginning and end of the project. The first of these will facilitate discussion of measurement practises and instrumentation, as well as establish recording and archiving procedures to archive electric field data in a standardised, easily accessible format. CEDA-BADC have agreed to support the creation of a data repository and a data manager, employed by the University of Reading, who will be responsible for liasing between CEDA-BADC and the project partners to upload data. In terms of scientific objectives, the PI will lead an investigation of space weather influences on the electric field measurements stored in the data repository. Evidence for influence from events such as solar flares, coronal mass ejections, and heliospheric current sheet crossings during the past three solar cycles will be examined using statistical techniques including super epoch analysis. During the second workshop, an outline for a peer reviewed publication describing the details of the network and data repository, as well as initial scientific findings will also be produced. This will form the basis for a joint publication from all the project partners and will help to advertise the network to the wider scientific community.