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Electric Discharge

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Encyclopedia of Astrobiology

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Synonyms

Spark discharge

Definition

An electric discharge is the release and transmission of electricity in an applied electric field through a medium such as a gas. Several types of electric discharges occur naturally on Earth (American Geophysical Union 1986):

  1. 1.

    Atmospheric lightning, which is thought to be caused by the frictional generation, and separation, of positive and negative charges on ice and dust particles. As the charge on these particles builds up, the result is the often-spectacular discharge of electricity known as lightning. On average, there are 50–100 lightning strikes per second on Earth with most of the activity taking place in equatorial and northern latitudinal regions.

  2. 2.

    Corona discharges, which are caused by an electrical discharge produced by the ionization of the surrounding atmosphere, generating a luminous plasma (sometime referred to as St. Elmo’s fire, a term used by sailors to describe the glow observed at the top of a ship’s mast during a...

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References and Further Reading

  • American Geophysical Union, National Research Council (U.S.). Geophysics Study Committee (1986) The earth’s electrical environment. National Academy Press, Washington, DC, p 263

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  • Aplin KL (2006) Atmospheric electrification in the solar system. Surv Geophys 27:63–108

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Cleaves HJ, Chalmers JH, Lazcano A, Miller SL, Bada JL (2008) A reassessment of prebiotic organic synthesis in neutral planetary atmospheres. Orig Life Evol Biosph 38:105–115

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Miller SL (1953) A production of amino acids under possible primitive earth conditions. Science 117(3046):528–529

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Scripps Institution of Oceanography, La Jolla, CA, USA

    Jeffrey Bada

Authors
  1. Jeffrey Bada
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Jeffrey Bada .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Centro de Biología Molecular, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain

    Ricardo Amils

  2. Labo. d'Astrophysique de Bordeaux (LAB), Observatoire Aquitain des Sciences de l'Univers (OASU), Floirac CX, France

    Muriel Gargaud

  3. Centro de Astrobiología (CAB), Inst. Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial, Torrejón de Ardoz, Madrid, Spain

    José Cernicharo Quintanilla

  4. Geophysical Lab., Carnegie Institution of Washington, Washington, District of Columbia, USA

    Henderson James Cleaves

  5. Astronomy Department, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Massachusetts, USA

    William M. Irvine

  6. Dépt. Sc. de la Terre et de l’Atmosphère, Université du Québec, Montréal, Montreal, Québec, Canada

    Daniele Pinti

  7. Centre National d'Etudes Spatiale (CNES) DPI/E2U, Paris CX, France

    Michel Viso

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© 2014 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

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Bada, J. (2014). Electric Discharge. In: Amils, R., et al. Encyclopedia of Astrobiology. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-27833-4_490-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-27833-4_490-3

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-27833-4

  • eBook Packages: Springer Reference Physics and AstronomyReference Module Physical and Materials ScienceReference Module Chemistry, Materials and Physics

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