The Global Electric Circuit and Global Seismicity

Basing on the catalogue of earthquakes with a magnitude of M ≥ 4.5 for the period 1973–2017, a UT variation with an amplitude of ~10% in the number of earthquakes is revealed and compared with a UT variation in the ionospheric potential (IP) with an amplitude of ~18%. We demonstrate that the amplitude of the UT variation in the number of deep-focus earthquakes is greater compared with that of crustal earthquakes, reaching 19%. The UT of the primary maxima of both the IP (according to modern calculations) and of earthquake incidence coincides (near 17:00 UT) and is, by 2 h, ahead of the classical Carnegie curve representing the UT variation in the atmospheric electric field on the ground surface. The linear regression equation between these UT variations in the number of deep-focus earthquakes and the ionospheric potential is obtained, with a correlation coefficient of R = 0.97. The results support the idea that the processes of earthquake preparation are coupled to the functional processes of the global electric circuit and the generation of atmospheric electric fields. In particular, the observed increase in thunderstorm activity over earthquake preparation areas, provided by air ionization due to radon emanation, yields a clue as to why the global thunderstorm distribution is primarily continental. Another important conclusion is that, in observing the longitudinal distributions of earthquakes against the IP distribution, we automatically observe that all such events occur in local nighttime hours. Considering that the majority of earthquake precursors have their maximums at local night and demonstrating the positive deviation from the undisturbed value, we obtain a clue as to its positive correlation with variations in the ionospheric potential.

Radon Transport from Soil to Air and Monte-Carlo Simulation

The exhalation of geochemical entities from soil to air is significant to understand Lithosphere-Atmospheric relationships. Some of these geochemical entities are capable of modifying the lower atmosphere, and they are employed in various studies. Radon is one of the geochemical gasses widely recognized as a dominant ionization source in near ground regions of the troposphere. The steady state Rn transport equation is considered in many cases for estimating Rn migration from soil to air on the condition that the time evolution is ignored. A method is proposed for estimating radon space-time transport from soil to air. This is achieved by solving the radon transport equation in soil with special boundary conditions. Similar results are obtained with some experimented models, as well as reported radon values in literature for some set of parameter combinations. Strengths and limitations of the method are discussed. The model is useable to study Lithosphere-Atmosphere relationships. It can also be significant in other studies like the Global Electric Circuit or Seismo-Ionospheric studies.

The Mansurov Effect: Real or a statistical artefact?

<p>The Mansurov Effect is related to the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) and its ability to modulate the global electric circuit, which is further hypothesized to impact the polar troposphere through cloud generation processes. In this paper we investigate the connection between IMF By-component and polar surface pressure by using daily ERA5 reanalysis for geopotential height since 1980. Previous studies have shown to produce a significant 27-day cyclic response during solar cycle 23. However, when appropriate statistical tests are applied, the correlation is not significant at the 95% level. Our results also show that data from three other solar cycles, which have not been investigated before, produce similar cyclic responses as during solar cycle 23, but with seemingly random offset in the timing of the signal. We examine the origin of the cyclic pattern occurring in the super epoch/lead lag regression methods commonly used to support the Mansurov hypothesis in all recent papers, as well as other phenomena in this community. By generating random normally distributed noise with different levels of temporal autocorrelation, and using the real IMF By-index as forcing, we show that the methods applied to support the Mansurov hypothesis up to now, are highly susceptible, as cyclic patterns always occurs as artefacts of the methods. This, in addition to the lack of significance, suggests that there is no adequate evidence in support of the Mansurov Effect.</p>

Measuring Global Signals in the Potential Gradient at High Latitude Sites

Previous research has shown that the study of the global electrical circuit can be relevant to climate change studies, and this can be done through measurements of the potential gradient near the surface in fair weather conditions. However, potential gradient measurements can be highly variable due to different local effects (e.g., pollution, convective processes). In order to try to minimize these effects, potential gradient measurements can be performed at remote locations where anthropogenic influences are small. In this work we present potential gradient measurements from five stations at high latitudes in the Southern and Northern Hemisphere. This is the first description of new datasets from Halley, Antarctica; and Sodankyla, Finland. The effect of the polar cap ionospheric potential can be significant at some polar stations and detailed analysis performed here demonstrates a negligible effect on the surface potential gradient at Halley and Sodankyla. New criteria for determination of fair weather conditions at snow covered sites is also reported, demonstrating that wind speeds as low as 3 m/s can loft snow particles, and that the fetch of the measurement site is an important factor in determining this threshold wind speed. Daily and seasonal analysis of the potential gradient in fair weather conditions shows great agreement with the “universal” Carnegie curve of the global electric circuit, particularly at Halley. This demonstrates that high latitude sites, at which the magnetic and solar influences can be present, can also provide globally representative measurement sites for study of the global electric circuit.

Discovery of Electricity and the Electromagnetic Force: Its Importance for Environmentalists, Educators, Physicians, Politicians, and Citizens

The discovery of static electricity in the 18th century and electromagnetism in the 19th was one of the most momentous scientific-technological events in human history. In the 21st century our way of life depends on the electromagnetic force so totally that were our electromagnetic infrastructure to collapse, our civilization would collapse virtually simultaneously. Despite this situation of profound dependency, few citizens understand the electromagnetic force, how it was discovered, how it works, and what wonders of modern life it controls. Nor do citizens understand the roles that Earth’s magnetosphere, ionosphere, and global electric circuit play in making electricity and life possible. Here, I review Earth’s natural electric environment and how electricity first began to be scientifically understood with the innovation of the Leyden jar in the mid-18th century; Franklin’s insights about electricity’s positive and negative poles, and its movement (later named a “current”); Galvani’s discovery of bioelectricity; and Volta’s seminal invention of the bi-metallic electrochemical battery in 1800. Ørsted’s discovery that an electric current affected a magnetized needle, causing it to swivel, in 1820 led to experiments with electromagnets by Schweigger, Arago, Ampère, Sturgeon, Henry, Faraday, and others over the course of the next decade. Observing how conducting wires induced magnetism in iron bars whenever the wires were electrified, Faraday and Henry separately discovered the principle of induction, whereby a moving magnetic field could reciprocally induce electricity in a coiled wire. Out of these momentous discoveries the “magneto-electric” telegraph was invented, and, within a single generation, the world was wired.