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Diurnal variation of atmospheric electric field at the summit of Mount Fuji, Japan, distinctly different from the Carnegie curve in the summertime
Author(s) -
Kamogawa Masashi,
Suzuki Yuko,
Sakai Rikuma,
Fujiwara Hironobu,
Torii Tatsuo,
Kakinami Yoshihiro,
Watanabe Yasuyuki,
Sato Ryoe,
Hashimoto Satoshi,
Okochi Hiroshi,
Miura Kazuhiko,
Yasuda Hiroshi,
Orihara Yoshiaki,
Suzuki Tomoyuki
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
geophysical research letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.007
H-Index - 273
eISSN - 1944-8007
pISSN - 0094-8276
DOI - 10.1002/2015gl063677
Subject(s) - diurnal temperature variation , sunset , sunrise , summit , daytime , altitude (triangle) , variation (astronomy) , climatology , atmospheric sciences , environmental science , effects of high altitude on humans , meteorology , geography , geology , physical geography , physics , geometry , mathematics , astrophysics , astronomy
In fair weather, a clear diurnal variation of atmospheric electric field (AEF), which is distinctly different from the global diurnal variation, i.e., Carnegie curve, was observed during the summer time (July and August) of the year 2010 and 2011 at the summit of Mount Fuji, Japan (3776 m in altitude). The variation of the AEF at the summit showed a local time dependent feature, which means that the AEF increased at sunrise and decreased at sunset. This local diurnal variation is known as a mountain variation. The intensity of AEF in the daytime reached 1.5–3 times larger than that in the nighttime. From the multipoint observations of cloud images and AEF, the mountain variation was found to be attributable to the AEF generated by the positively charged top of a horizontally extensive sea of clouds below the summit. Since the sea of clouds grows with the temperature rise, the AEF variation follows local time.