Den blå planetens atmosfärelektriska system
2013 (Swedish)Report (Other academic)
Abstract [en]
Water and vapor (atmos) characterize the atmosphere and the permanently ongoing electrical processes – in time and space and scales reaching from atomic to global ones. Possibly electrical thunderstorm discharges have been a contributory source for the genesis of life by the conversion of inorganic material into organic molecules –a famous experiment let us assume that.Atmospheric electricity is the part of electro physics that treats the electrical processes in our atmosphere. Thefamous investigations by B. Franklin which shows that the lightning in thunderstorms is connected with electricaldischarges started the science in this geophysical area. Nearly all famous scientists in the electrical area (at thattime) have done contributions. It would overrun the frame of this abstract to mention them all – see instead theSwedish version.Atmospheric electricity research and development in Sweden has been carried out at Uppsala University,Meteorological Institute, Märsta Observatory. Prof. G.H. Liljequist established the base and instrumentation for advanced measurements in this field in the sixties. A modern electronic system for continuous measurements ofthe fundamental parameters: electrical field, positive and negative conductivity and vertical current density wasinstalled at Märsta Observatory – unique in Scandinavia. I got the mandate to carry out the research at the Observatory during 1964/65 (International Quiet Sun Year). Daily and annual variations of the ionosphericpotential have been determined by soundings of the electrical field up to 20 km height as a completion to the ground level measurements of the parameters field, current-density, positive and negative conductivity.Meteorological observations included temperature at several heights, humidity, pressure and cloudiness. The accomplishment of the measurements in the free atmosphere is described in more detail in the Swedish version and my thesis. It must be emphasized: It was an intricate work to start the balloons with the instrumental payloadsimultaneously with all the other stations on the globe which where involved in this international scientific program. Uppsala University was the only Scandinavian station involved. A milestone in atmospheric research in Sweden.Micro physically seen the air we breathe is ionized by natural sources (radioactivity and cosmic radiation) and anthropogenic ones. This has a lot of implications for our life and outdoor and indoor activities. Positive andnegative charges in a spectral mobility distribution are present as a function of the chemical composition of theair. Air pollution in form of gases and particles have a significant influence on air quality and can therefore be used as an air-quality-indicator in environmental investigations. This is especially important in indoor-areas and workplaces as a consequence of the use of modern building and furniture materials and floor cover. Asophisticated experimental research program has been carried out in the Office building (VBB ) in central Gothenburg (1985). The measurements included meteorological parameters outside the office building and theirinfluence on indoor air climate especially in inversion situations. We found that particle transport is primarily governed by the electric climate in indoor areas. This finding is of great importance for applications inoccupational hygiene and medicine. Summarized it can be stated that basic research has resulted in an outcome in a quite different area – a lot of years later.
Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Strömstad: Strömstad Akademi , 2013. , p. 19
Series
Acta Academiae Stromstadiensis ; 20
Keywords [en]
Atmospheric electricity, thunderstorm, electrical climate, B .Franklin, electrical field, air-conductivity, air-ions, vertical -current-density, International Quiet Sun Year (1964-1965), ionosphere-potential, particletransport, indoor-air-quality, building and furniture materials, floor cover, triboelectric charging, air quality and occupational hygiene, ion-spectroscopy, mobility-spectra
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:hv:diva-5784ISBN: 978-91-86607-21-0 (print)OAI: oai:DiVA.org:hv-5784DiVA, id: diva2:678173
2013-12-112013-12-112014-02-18Bibliographically approved