SPATIOTEMPORAL STRUCTURES OF ELECTRIC-FIELD AND SPACE-CHARGE IN THE SURFACE ATMOSPHERIC LAYER

As a result of electric field measurements in remote points of the sur face layer and analysis of obtained statistical characteristics (struc tural functions, temporal spectra) two typical scales of electric fiel d pulsations are found. The lowest one L0 congruent-to 20 - 60 m coinc ides with an external scale of neutral gas turbulence under fair weath er conditions. The highest scale L1 less than or similar 60 m testifie s to the existence of long-time electric field perturbations which lea d to the anomalous growth of the structural function D(E)(R) at a dist ance r > L1. The relation between the scales L0 and L1 depends on the particular experimental conditions. The theoretical model for the func tion D(E)(r) has been developed, taking into account the turbulent mix ing of charged particles and thermal convection in the surface layer. It is shown that the expression for D(E) consists of two parts. The fi rst part describes fluctuations caused by the charge separation due to neutral gas turbulent mixing; the second part gives a contribution of large-scale convective cells, which can transfer a volume charge alon g the Earth's surface.