Influence of Turbulence on Electric-Field Intensity Variations in the Earth’s Atmosphere

The influence of turbulent mixing on the vertical profile of electric-field intensity in the atmospheric boundary layer is investigated. The effects of meteorological conditions and thermodynamic stratification on the electrical conductivity and structure of the electric field are analyzed. It is shown that the turbulent diffusion coefficient K(z), which determines the vertical transport of electric charge, can vary significantly with altitude depending on atmospheric stratification. Several models for describing K(z) are considered, including empirical and theoretically grounded approaches (the Monin–Obukhov model). Calculations based on radiosonde data from the Norderney station (WMO 10 113) for the winter and summer seasons have made it possible to trace seasonal differences in the distributions of the turbulent diffusion coefficient and electric-field intensity. Additionally, data from station 2TDJJ8J aboard the research vessel Polarstern RV, which operates near the Earth’s poles during polar summer, are analyzed. This makes it possible to compare changes in the electric field and the turbulent diffusion coefficient for high-latitude regions of both hemispheres. The similarity of exponential field decay with altitude is established, and differences indicating regional characteristics of atmospheric stratification are identified.