I am not sure if this has to do specifically with your very intrigueing post about incidence of lightening strikes and geomagnetic anomalies but Clifford Carnicom conducted spark-length tests which indicated the Earth's atmosphere has become dramatically more conductive than would be expected.
Expected spark lengths should have been 2.5" but the spark lengths that were produced were 10-12", indicating the Earth's atmosphere has become much more conductive and has lost a good deal of it's insulating quality. Mr. Carnicom speculated that one of the results of this would be a greater increase in the frequency and intensity of lightening strikes.
"ATMOSPHERIC
CONDUCTIVITY
Clifford E Carnicom
Jul 09 2001
Research is indicating that the conductivity of the atmosphere has been increased. This finding is in conjunction with the extensive aerosol operations that have been documented in detail for the last 2 1/2 years, and with the most recent findings that support the claims for the existence of saturated levels of metallic particulates within the atmosphere.
A Van de Graaf generator has been used to create a spark in the open atmosphere at repeated intervals. The length of the spark that the generator can produce is generally predictable, and it is highly dependent upon the size of the sphere of the generator as well as the dielectric strength of the medium (e.g., air) that the spark traverses.
In the cases that are under examination, the generator being used is rated at 200,000 volts. This agrees reasonably well with the theoretical value of the potential for the generator, which has an oblate spheroid of 18 cm. diameter.
The dielectric strength is a measure of the insulating capability of a medium, and is represented by a constant known as the dielectric strength of the material. The dielectric strength of air is stated from numerous sources to be approximately 3 million volts per meter.
This leads to an expected spark length from the generator being used of:
200,000 V / (3E6 volts / meter) = .067 meters = 2.6 inches.
Outdoor measurements with a clean sphere are producing spark lengths much greater than that which is expected, on the order of 10 -12 inches (.254meters).
This indicates that the breakdown voltage of the atmosphere (dielectric strength) of the atmosphere under testing has been reduced to approximately:
200,000 V / .254 meters = 787,400 volts / meter.
This indicates a reduction in the dielectric strength of the atmosphere under testing by a factor of 3.8. If the manufacturer claims of maximum spark lengths of 5" is used, there remains a reduction factor of 2 in the dielectric strength of the atmosphere that is to be accounted for. This finding leads to the conclusion that the atmosphere is not acting as efficiently as an insulator, or conversely, the atmosphere is more electrically conductive than is expected.
One observable and expected consequence of a reduction in the dielectric strength of the atmosphere would be an increase in lightning frequency and intensity.
These findings are preliminary. Any corrections to this presentation are appreciated, and any revisions will be made as is appropriate."
__________________
The possible connection between atmospheric conductivity and the unprecedented number of reported gas pump refueling fires and electrical pole fires is explored in the thread "How is Man Shaping Earth Changes".
Topic Author
