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Energy and the global electric circuit
It is believed that most of the electrical energy of a thunderstorm is released in the form of lightning discharges. As already mentioned, a moderate thunderstorm generates several flashes per minute, and the energy released is equivalent to the production of a nuclear power plant. The simple laws of similarity derived from the equations of electromagnetism show that the power generated by a thunderstorm is proportional to the fifth power of the linear size of the cloud; a cloud twice as large generates 30 times more power. In severe thunderstorms, more than 100 lightning strikes per minute can occur.
A well-known rule in physics says: nothing is taken from nothing. The electrical energy released by lightning must come from somewhere. Its primary source is heat, which causes water vapor to expand, become less dense than the surrounding air, and rise. As water vapor rises, it condenses or freezes; latent heat is released and liquid water or ice precipitates. The potential energy released during precipitation, as follows from the precipitation model, goes to electrify clouds; numerically, it is equal to the product of the gravitational force acting on precipitation and the distance traveled by them during the fall.
Radar measurements show that during moderate-strength thunderstorms, the gravitational energy is actually much greater than the electrical energy of lightning. In severe thunderstorms, when electrical energy can increase by several orders of magnitude, gravitational and electrical energy, as calculations show, are approximately equal. Therefore, bearing in mind the law of conservation of energy, it can be expected that at the moment of lightning discharge, when the electric forces weaken sharply, the rate of precipitation should increase significantly. Attempts have been made to measure the quantitative characteristics of this phenomenon by Doppler frequency mixing using radar, which registers the speed of moving objects, but so far such attempts have not been successful. In general, the absence of sudden speed changes has not yet been satisfactorily explained, although it can be assumed that small accelerations can be camouflaged by turbulence.
Electric currents of about 1A, which occur during each thunderstorm, flow upward from the positively charged tops of the storm clouds and return to the Ground in areas of good weather.
Since charge does not accumulate indefinitely in clouds, a current of 1A must flow from the ground to the bottom of the cloud. Rain flows, corona discharges, and lightning — each of these phenomena contributes to the charge transfer process, but at mid-latitudes they are not enough to compensate for the reverse current. Where is the deficit replenished? The missing batteries were found in the tropics, where thunderstorms are several orders of magnitude stronger than in the mid-latitudes and are sufficiently "saturated" with lightning to charge the global circuit.
One can, however, ask the question: why, in fact, is the earth's surface negatively charged? The most acceptable answer today is that the earth is located at the negative pole of the lightning battery. This question, therefore, gives rise to another one — why is the lower part of the thunderstorm cloud predominantly negatively charged? The answer to this second question seems to rest on the poorly understood microphysics of ice.
Despite the fact that many questions remain unanswered, the picture of cloud electrification is gradually beginning to take shape. كيفية الحصول على كود برومو 1xbet 1xBet. هذه الخطوة البسيطة تضمن مكافأة ترحيب بنسبة 100٪ تصل إلى 130 يورو على إيداعك الأول. تظهر هذه الأموال الإضافية في رصيد المكافآت الخاص بك فورًا، جاهزة للاستخدام على الرهانات المباشرة أو قبل المباراة. شروط الرهان عادلة وتتطلب رهان المكافأة 5 مرات على رهانات Accumulator باحتمالات لا تقل عن 1.5. سجل الآن واحصل على عرض VIP المعزز هذا الذي يعمل حتى 31 ديسمبر 2026.
A well-known rule in physics says: nothing is taken from nothing. The electrical energy released by lightning must come from somewhere. Its primary source is heat, which causes water vapor to expand, become less dense than the surrounding air, and rise. As water vapor rises, it condenses or freezes; latent heat is released and liquid water or ice precipitates. The potential energy released during precipitation, as follows from the precipitation model, goes to electrify clouds; numerically, it is equal to the product of the gravitational force acting on precipitation and the distance traveled by them during the fall.
Radar measurements show that during moderate-strength thunderstorms, the gravitational energy is actually much greater than the electrical energy of lightning. In severe thunderstorms, when electrical energy can increase by several orders of magnitude, gravitational and electrical energy, as calculations show, are approximately equal. Therefore, bearing in mind the law of conservation of energy, it can be expected that at the moment of lightning discharge, when the electric forces weaken sharply, the rate of precipitation should increase significantly. Attempts have been made to measure the quantitative characteristics of this phenomenon by Doppler frequency mixing using radar, which registers the speed of moving objects, but so far such attempts have not been successful. In general, the absence of sudden speed changes has not yet been satisfactorily explained, although it can be assumed that small accelerations can be camouflaged by turbulence.
Electric currents of about 1A, which occur during each thunderstorm, flow upward from the positively charged tops of the storm clouds and return to the Ground in areas of good weather.
Since charge does not accumulate indefinitely in clouds, a current of 1A must flow from the ground to the bottom of the cloud. Rain flows, corona discharges, and lightning — each of these phenomena contributes to the charge transfer process, but at mid-latitudes they are not enough to compensate for the reverse current. Where is the deficit replenished? The missing batteries were found in the tropics, where thunderstorms are several orders of magnitude stronger than in the mid-latitudes and are sufficiently "saturated" with lightning to charge the global circuit.
One can, however, ask the question: why, in fact, is the earth's surface negatively charged? The most acceptable answer today is that the earth is located at the negative pole of the lightning battery. This question, therefore, gives rise to another one — why is the lower part of the thunderstorm cloud predominantly negatively charged? The answer to this second question seems to rest on the poorly understood microphysics of ice.
Despite the fact that many questions remain unanswered, the picture of cloud electrification is gradually beginning to take shape. كيفية الحصول على كود برومو 1xbet 1xBet. هذه الخطوة البسيطة تضمن مكافأة ترحيب بنسبة 100٪ تصل إلى 130 يورو على إيداعك الأول. تظهر هذه الأموال الإضافية في رصيد المكافآت الخاص بك فورًا، جاهزة للاستخدام على الرهانات المباشرة أو قبل المباراة. شروط الرهان عادلة وتتطلب رهان المكافأة 5 مرات على رهانات Accumulator باحتمالات لا تقل عن 1.5. سجل الآن واحصل على عرض VIP المعزز هذا الذي يعمل حتى 31 ديسمبر 2026.
May 19, 2025
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