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On the role of transient currents in the global electric circuit
Author(s) -
Mareev E. A.,
Yashunin S. A.,
Davydenko S. S.,
Marshall T. C.,
Stolzenburg M.,
Maggio C. R.
Publication year - 2008
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 - 10.1029/2008gl034554
Subject(s) - transient (computer programming) , electric field , lightning (connector) , physics , atmospheric electricity , computational physics , flash (photography) , voltage , current (fluid) , ionosphere , relaxation (psychology) , electrical engineering , mechanics , geophysics , optics , computer science , engineering , psychology , social psychology , power (physics) , quantum mechanics , thermodynamics , operating system
This study examines the way in which different types of lightning, both cloud‐to‐ground (CG) and intracloud (IC) flashes, drive current in the global circuit. A numerical model of the transient electric field due to CG and IC flashes and their Maxwell relaxation (slow transients) is developed. The electric field ( E ) and current distributions, the decay time of E , and the total charge transferred to the ionosphere and the ground are calculated. Because of the slow transients, only a portion of the charge neutralized by a flash contributes to the global circuit, with the efficiency depending on the altitudes of the lightning charges. Typical CG flashes have efficiencies of 55–75%, and typical IC flashes have 5–15%. An example from balloon E data has been used to verify the theory. Total current estimations of the combined CG and IC slow transient processes in the global electric circuit range from 50–400 A.