Abstract
The electric charge of precipitation particles was measured both at the ground and in the clouds at Ponape, Micronesia. Results were analysed as a function of drop size, surface potential gradient and cloud top height in order to identify the charge separation processes. It was found that the electric structure of a cloud differs greatly with cloud top height, suggesting that charge separation processes in the cloud are primarily determined by microphysical processes.
Different charging processes have been proposed to explain the differences between warm and cool cloud electrification. Thunderstorm electrification was explained as an extension of the cool cloud electrification mechanism.
