Studies in geophysics: The Earth's electrical environment

The Earth is electrified. Between the surface and the outer reaches of the atmosphere, there is a global circuit that is maintained by worldwide thunderstorm activity and by upper atmospheric dynamo processes. The highest voltages approach a billion volts and are generated within thunderclouds, where lightning is a visual display of the cloud's electrical nature. The largest currents in the circuit, approaching a million amperes, are associated with the aurora. Because there have been significant advances in understanding many of the component parts of the global electric circuit (lightning, cloud electrification, electrical processes in specific atmospheric regions, and telluric currents), a principal research challenge is to understand how these components interact to shape the global circuit. Increased basic understanding in this field has many potential practical applications, including lightning protection, the design of advanced aircraft and spacecraft, and improvements in weather prediction.