Summary
The fundamental problem of atmospheric electricity is given by the question to the cause of the electrical current which can be observed everywhere in the terrestrial atmosphere. The ‘classical picture’ which emerged in the 1920's, also called sometimes the ‘spherical capacitor theory’, is shown to be unproven or even disproven by measuring results available until now. The constituting elements of the classical picture are investigated individually, and conclusions are drawn from these considerations. The outcome is that we indeed have a globally controlled current flow vertically through the atmosphere, but that the connection to the thunderstorm activity is tenuous and, in fact, contradicted by proper interpretation of available measurements. On the other hand, thunderstorms do generate electric currents which feed into the global current circuit, and the amount could very well be sufficient, but we do not have sufficient evidence to be able to decide this question.—The author stresses the necessity to improve the measurement techniques and indicates how to do it, he even calls for an abandonment of outmoded methods which are sometimes misleading and in their results often confusing, but nevertheless still practiced at many places. The Atmospheric Electricity Ten-Year Program is discussed as the natural consequence derived from the present situation.
Zusammenfassung
Das grundlegende luftelektrische Problem ist die Frage nach dem Ursprung des elektrischen Stromes der überall in der Atmosphäre beobachtet werden kann. Das ‘klassische Bild’ welches in den 1920er Jahren entstand und auch als Kugelkondensator-Theorie bezeichnet wird, wird als unbewiesen dargestellt, ja, sogar als durch die bisher vorliegenden Messergebnisse widerlegt. Die Elemente, welche zusammen das klassische Bild ausmachen, werden einzeln untersucht, und Schlüsse werden aus diesen Untersuchungen gezogen. Das Ergebnis ist, dass wir tatsächlich einen Vertikalstrom haben, der weltweit gesteuert wird, dass aber die Verbindung zur Weltgewittertätigkeit unsicher ist und, genauer betrachtet, von einer sorgfältigen Auslegung der Messergebnisse widerlegt wird. Auf der anderen Seite erzeugen die Gewitter tatsächlich elektrische Ströme, und es scheint als ob deren Stärke ungefähr passend ist, aber unser Kenntnis reicht nicht aus, um das nachzuweisen.—Verfasser betont die Notwendigkeit, die Messmethoden zu verbessern und er zeigt auf wie, ungefähr, das getan werden kann, er ruft sogar dazu auf, die alten und überholten Methoden abzuschaffen weil sie manchmal falsche Schlüsse hervorrufen und gewöhnlich zu verwirrenden Auslegungen führen, trotzdem aber noch vielerorts angewandt werden. Das luftelektrische Zehnjahresprogramm wird als natürliche Folge der gegenwärtigen Situation dargestellt.
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Dolezalek, H. Discussion of the fundamental problem of atmospheric electricity. PAGEOPH 100, 8–43 (1972). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00880224
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00880224