The effect of liquid water on thunderstorm charging

Laboratory studies have shown that thunderstorm charging caused by the interactions of ice crystals and graupel pellets is affected in sign and magnitude by temperature and cloud liquid water content; the presence of water droplets is a requirement for substantial charge transfer. Relationships showing the dependence of charge transfer on ice crystal size and velocity have previously been reported and now, in a continuation of the laboratory studies, the effect of liquid water content on the charge transfer has been investigated. The experiments show that positive graupel charging occurs at temperatures above a “charge sign reversal temperature” with negative charging at lower temperatures. The reversal temperature moves to lower temperatures when the liquid water content is increased. However, at low values of liquid water content, the sign of the graupel charging is inverted being positive at low temperatures and negative at higher temperatures. A discussion is presented of the various charge transfer theories. The results are consistent with the idea of two competing mechanisms whose relative success depends on the temperature and liquid water content. Positive graupel charging occurs when the graupel surface grows from the vapor and the crystals interact with a negative surface charge caused by a temperature gradient across the rime ice surface layer. Negative graupel charging occurs when the surface growth effect is swamped by freezing droplets which create either a pseudo contact potential with which the crystals interact, or a positive surface charge, due to dislocations in the rime ice, which is removed during glancing crystal interactions. Relationships between charge transfer, liquid water content, temperature, ice crystal size, and velocity have been determined and the equations may be used in numerical models of the development of thunderstorm electric fields. A one-dimensional model indicates that the charge separation rates noted here are adequate to account for thunderstorm electrification. Use of the equations with cloud parameter values obtained in a thunderstorm research flight, leads to a predicted charge reversal level around −13°C, which is in agreement with the analysis of the electric field in the thunderstorm studied.

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