It has been known for over a century that the atmosphere is positively charged with respect to the earth's surface, and that a globally-distributed downward "fairweather" electric current through the atmosphere attempts to equilibrate this charge disparity. The observation that this charge imbalance and the downward field persist has lead to a theory for a Global atmospheric electric Circuit (GC), in which processes in thunderstorms and electrified clouds provide an upward current balancing the downward fairweather currents. This research will concentrate on the role of the ocean component in the GC. Measurements of electric currents in oceans have not been done before. The current study will explore this new area. If successful, it will provide new evidence for the GC.
Intellectual Merit. The GC is a primary component of the earth's global electrical system and is of great interest due to its inferred role in global climate change. Despite this, there are even very basic elements in the GC theory that have not been resolved because an adequate description of the temporal variability of this planetary-scale circuit has not been available for testing ideas. For nearly a century, continuous monitoring of the GC has been both an observational priority and an unaccomplished goal. The global circuit appears to be both a global thermometer and an active element in the Earth's weather system. Future progress in GC science will hinge on the establishment of programs for the continuous, sustained monitoring of the GC, and on the development of numerical models of the GC processes. The work addresses these goals with a highly original approach aimed at establishing long-term GC monitoring from ocean straits.
Broader Impacts. The GC currents literally thread through what has been strongly separated geographic domains of study (air, earth, water) in the earth's electrodynamics. This study may provide a better understanding of earth's electrodynamics through the measurements of GC currents in oceans, and also integrates GC into the earth system and climate models.
