Atmospheric electricity in high latitudes

• Published in: Proceedings of the Royal Society of London. Series A, Containing Papers of a Mathematical and Physical Character
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: The Royal Society 1905
• Subjects: Arctic; North Cape; Karasjok
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rspa.1905.0014; https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/pdf/10.1098/rspa.1905.0014

The recent work of Elster and Geitel, Ebert and others, has added three new factors to the data for the study of atmospheric electricity, namely:— The rate at which the permanent charge on the surface of the earth is being dissipated into the atmosphere, the state of ionization of the air, and the amount of radio-active emanation in the lower regions of the atmosphere. These three factors have been carefully studied in the temperate zone. With the idea of extending our knowledge of them into the Arctic regions, I was granted permission by the Commissioners of the 1851 Exhibition Scholarship to undertake a year’s work in the Lapp village of Karasjok (69° 17' N.; 25° 35' E.; 129 metres above sea level, and about 200 miles south of the North Cape), The work undertaken consisted of the following:- 1. By means of a Benndorf self-registering electrometer to obtain daily curves of the potential gradient, and from these to calculate the yearly and daily variation. 2. To make systematic observations of the dissipation by means of Elster and Geitel’s instrument. 3. To make corresponding measurements of the ionization with Ebert’s apparatus. 4. To measure the amount of radio-active emanation in the atmosphere. 5. To investigate, as far as possible, the influence of the aurora on the electrical conditions of the atmosphere.