Space charge and aeroelectric flows in the exchange layer: An experimental and numerical study

Experimental research on the turbulent transport of aeroelectrical field inhomogeneities and modeling of the formation of the dynamic electrical layer in the PBL has been carried out. The transport of aeroelectric inhomogeneities was detected on the basis of field observations during electrodynamics campaigns in the seasons of 2006-2011. Investigations of a dynamic component of the boundary layer electric field are carried out in terms of numerical modeling of spatially heterogeneous turbulent transport of space charge. The modeling of aeroelectric field dynamics is executed by means of a method of probe structures. The response of the aeroelectric field to the transport of aeroelectrical turbulence is investigated. Observations of the aeroelectric field intensity, the vertical profiles of wind speed and direction and the heights of a layer with a temperature inversion are used as input model parameters. Basic model parameters of space charge distributions are analyzed. It is shown that the evolution of an aeroelectrical vertical electric field profile is defined by the formation of dynamic electrical layers in the lower atmosphere. Estimations of the interrelation of aeroelectric field dynamics and trends of meteorological parameters are adduced for boundary layer conditions. It is shown that the velocity of transfer of aeroelectric field heterogeneities is defined by the velocities of space charge transport in electrical layers of the boundary layer. The influence of the large-scale wind velocity structure to the space charge spatial distributions is investigated. It is shown that the space-time aeroelectric field dynamics are due to the integrated contribution of the transfer of electric space charge. From the results of electric field observations the numerical estimation of space charge transport in the exchange layer is performed. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.