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abound whether from plasmas formed by the electric discharge in a bolt of lightning or plasmas present in the ionosphere due to particle bombardment from the Sun. during that second. This means that every day approximately 4,000,000 lightning discharges take place, resulting in about 1.4 billion occurrences each year. About 80 per cent of the lightning flashes are between clouds, while the remaining 20 per cent are between clouds and the surface of the Earth. Nature abhors with a vengeance an imbalance in electric charge distribution. After the lightning strike, the cloud has an unbalanced charge. It experiences an interaction with the ionosphere above it to try to become neutral again by the transfer of electrons to the cloud. But each lightning strike creates a more negative Earth by passing electrons to it. In an attempt to restore balance, ne clouds and the surface of the Earth. New Matter Requires Protons and Electrons Nature abhors with a vengeance an imbalance in We are all familiar with electric conduction when it electric charge distribution. After the lightning strike, the | comes to the electric currents that we use every day to cloud has an unbalanced charge. It experiences an _ power devices around us. We know, for example, that interaction with the ionosphere above it to try to become — copper and aluminium are excellent conductors of neutral again by the transfer of electrons to the cloud. But __ electricity. But current conduction is not limited to just each lightning strike creates a more negative Earth by metals. The Earth itself is an excellent conductor, which passing electrons to it. In an attempt to restore balance, is why when you touch an electrical outlet while standing some means must > the earth you feel a exist to transfer zap as_ electricity current back to the lonosphere travels through your ionosphere to ¥ ] body between the complete what is i” = outlet and the ground. known as the "global We even know through electric circuit" (Bering Fair this often accidental, et al., 1998) or the simple experiment "global atmospheric 2 weather that t e€ body itself is electrical circuit" Z return a good conductor of (Harrison, 2004). S current electricity. ; Figure | represents | Most discussions a simplified complete 9 about _the flow of circuit. Lightning ° electricity focus on the sends electrons to the s movement of ground where the |@ electrons under charge spreads, since S conditions of voltage the surface layers of = _ : potential difference, the Earth are good Lightning since it is so common. conductors of ot so obvious in electricity. In what is everyday life is the = = wee referred to as the Y UY MUUYUMH0™f UY recognition that "fair-weather return Wu: Wad Yj magnetic fields are current", the high “1 also prime movers of potential between the Surface of Earth electrons and other ground and the Figure I: The Global Electric Circuit charged particles, and ionosphere drives nowhere is this truer current flow through the air to the ionosphere to close han within the magnetic field generated by the Earth he circuit. itself. It must be appreciated that in any electrical transfer, The Earth is continually being bombarded by charged he large potential difference between the ground and particles, both electrons and ions, from our Sun. These he ionosphere also will drive positively charged ions __ particles become entrapped in the Earth's magnetic flux down towards the ground because the Earth has a ines in space, forming plasma sheaths which channel negative electrostatic charge. Any time there is a hese particles away from most of the Earth—with the potential difference and there are charged particles exception of at its poles, where the magnetic lines of present, these particles will move. And the ionosphere, orce converge. The beautiful aurora borealis and under the influence of the magnetic field lines of the aurora australis (northern and southern lights) are Earth, has all kinds of ionised particles as well as ribbons of plasma where incoming charged particles electrons moving primarily in a north-south direction. | enter our atmosphere, driven by the magnetic field of n addition, there are continual streams of electrons and he Earth. But a magnet has two poles and each pole ions from the Sun which serve as a potentially vast acts on particles of the same charge, be it negative or supply of available charged particles to account for the _ positive. ypothesised matter gain within the Earth. In a plasma, electrons and negative ions (atoms which In summary, ours is a world where ionised particles ave gained an extra electron, making them negative) Fair Cloud APRIL - MAY 2011 NEXUS ¢ 45 Figure I: The Global Electric Circuit www.nexusmagazine.com