Instrumentation for electrical measurements in snowstorms

Abstract

Instrumentation was developed and subsequently used to study electric currents and their characteristics in snowstorms. Conduction current density was calculated from the product of atmospheric conductivity (measured by use of a Gerdien condenser) and electric field (measured by use of two new electric field meter designs of the radioactive potential probe type). Precipitation current was measured directly by two instruments, one averaging currents as a function of time and the other examining individual snowflakes and providing instantaneous precipitation information.