ATMO/ECE 489/589
Outline of Possible Topics
(there may be small changes in the order in which this
material is presented)
click here to download in
Microsoft WORD format
1. Introduction
1.1 Brief historical overview
1.2 Review of classical electricity and magnetism
Coulomb's law, electric field,
electrostatic potential, Gauss' Law, Poisson's equation, Laplace's
equation
Method of images, boundary value problems
Current density, electrical mobility, atmospheric conductivity
2. Fair Weather Electricity
2.1 Sources of atmospheric ions
Natural radioactivity
Cosmic rays
2.2 Small ion mobilities,
ion balance equations, ion-aerosol
attachment
2.3 Electrical structure of the atmosphere
Conductivity profiles
Fair weather electric fields
Air-earth currents
Global electric "circuit"
3. Cloud Electricity
3.1 Microphysical structure of
thunderstorm clouds
3.2 Thunderstorm electrification
Basic charging requirements
Ion capture and induction mechanisms
Electrical properties of water and ice
Thermoelectric and contact mechanisms
Ice-graupel collisions - laboratory data
Observations in clouds
3.3 Thunderstorm electric fields
Measurements
Screening layers
Charge structure of thunderclouds
3.4 The thunderstorm as a current
source
4. Lightning
4.1 Basic lightning phenomenology
Area densities and strike probablilties
Cloud-to-ground flashes
Preliminary breakdown
Stepped leader
Return strokes
Dart Leader
J and K processes
Intracloud discharges
4.2 Triggered lightning
4.3 Characteristics of lightning currents
4.4 Electric and magnetic fields produced by lightning
Time domain antenna theory
Radio frequency emissions
4.5 Physical characteristics of
lightning channels
Dimensions
Thermodynamic properties
Energy balance
4.6 Thunder
4.7 Propagation, sferics, and
atmospheric radio noise
4.8 Methods of detecting and locating lightning
Gated, wideband sensors (MDF and TOA)
RF techniques
Satellite lightning sensors
4.9 Electrical transients at high
altitudes, "sprites and elves"
5. Lightning Protection and Lightning Safety
5.1 Mechanisms of lightning damage
5.2 Principles of lightning protection
Grounding, bonding, and shielding
Transient protectors
Shielding topology
5.3 Methods of protection against
lightning
Buildings
Hazardous structures
Telecommunications and data systems
Electric-power transmission/distribution systems
Aircraft and avionics systems
5.4 Lightning safety
recommendations
Click here
for a longer more detailed list of topics used by Dr. Krider when he
taught the course.