Electrical current along balloon rigging line inside thunderstorms

• Published in: Atmospheric research 1999-07, Vol.51 (3), p.323-335
• Main Authors: Bateman, Monte G, Eack, Kenneth B, Rust, W.David, Marshall, Thomas C
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Balloon; Earth, ocean, space; Electrical current; Exact sciences and technology; External geophysics; Geophysics. Techniques, methods, instrumentation and models; Rigging line; Thunderstorm
• ISSN: 0169-8095; 1873-2895
• DOI: 10.1016/S0169-8095(99)00017-4

We have designed a new instrument to measure the current flowing along balloon rigging line during flights through thunderstorms. This instrument was tested in a high voltage facility and used to collect line current data during one balloon flight into a thunderstorm. Using these data, worst-case calculations are made; as such, we claim that they are the upper limits of any alteration (to the measured electric field or particle charge) that may occur, and the real number is likely much less. It is postulated the rigging-line current could have two separate effects on the measured electric field: (1) reduction of the field due to emission of corona ions, and (2) enhancement of the field due to the insertion of a long thin `conductor.' Even with current as high as 1 μA (the largest measured was around 50–100 nA), these two effects were found to be about −1% and +1%, respectively. Also, the calculated worst-case alteration to charged precipitation measurements is about 0.1 pC. Thus, with proper efforts to make the rigging line as poor a conductor as possible, it seems that we are justified in stating that these effects are negligible.