Demonstration of a Remotely Piloted Atmospheric Measurement and Charge Release Platform for Geoengineering

Electric charge is always present in the lower atmosphere. If droplets or aerosols become charged, their behavior changes, influencing collision, evaporation, and deposition. Artificial charge release is an unexplored potential geoengineering technique for modifying fogs, clouds, and rainfall. Centr...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of atmospheric and oceanic technology 2021-01, Vol.38 (1), p.63-75
Main Authors: Harrison, R. Giles, Nicoll, Keri A., Tilley, Douglas J., Marlton, Graeme J., Chindea, Stefan, Dingley, Gavin P., Iravani, Pejman, Cleaver, David J., du Bois, Jonathan L., Brus, David
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Aerosols
Air pollution
Aircraft
Airframes
Atmosphere
Charge deposition
Clouds
Cosmic rays
Current carriers
Droplets
Electric charge
Electric fields
Electrostatics
Emissions
Emitters
Evaporation
Fly by wire control
Geoengineering
Lower atmosphere
Precipitation
Radiosondes
Rain
Rainfall
Remotely piloted aircraft
Sensors
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Summary:Electric charge is always present in the lower atmosphere. If droplets or aerosols become charged, their behavior changes, influencing collision, evaporation, and deposition. Artificial charge release is an unexplored potential geoengineering technique for modifying fogs, clouds, and rainfall. Central to evaluating these processes experimentally in the atmosphere is establishing an effective method for charge delivery. A small charge-delivering remotely piloted aircraft has been specially developed for this, which is electrically propelled. It carries controllable bipolar charge emitters (nominal emission current ±5 μ A) beneath each wing, with optical cloud and meteorological sensors integrated into the airframe. Meteorological and droplet measurements are demonstrated to 2 km altitude by comparison with a radiosonde, including within cloud, and successful charge emission aloft verified by using programmed flight paths above an upward-facing surface electric field mill. This technological approach is readily scalable to provide nonpolluting fleets of charge-releasing aircraft, identifying and targeting droplet regions with their own sensors. Beyond geoengineering, agricultural, and biological aerosol applications, safe ionic propulsion of future electric aircraft also requires detailed investigation of charge effects on natural atmospheric droplet systems.
ISSN:0739-0572
1520-0426
DOI:10.1175/JTECH-D-20-0092.1