MAEF-NSA

Monitoring Atmospheric Electric Field in Arctic

1 June 2026 - 31 May 2029

Lead Scientist: Chuntao Liu

Observatory: NSA (North Slope of Alaska)

This campaign aims to improve our overall understanding of the Global Electric Circuit (GEC) of the atmosphere by collecting measurements using CS110 electric field mills at the North Slope of Alaska (NSA) station for three years. This high-quality measurement of the electric field at the NSA will fill the gap of lack of reliable electric field observations in the Arctic. The North Slope of Alaska is an ideal location for measuring the atmospheric electric field, because of its stably stratified boundary layer that exists due to the extremely cold temperatures. These measurements are critical in interpreting the tie between the fair-weather electric field and global thunderstorm activity. If successful, there is a potential to use the relatively cheap and easily calibrated electric field measurements to monitor global thunderstorm activity in the long term. Also, the electric field measurements can be used to monitor the more frequent electrified convective clouds without lightning, a precursor of rare thunderstorms in the region, as an important signal of a warming Arctic in summer. Lastly, the impact of electric field on the properties of shallow cloud in the polar night can be further validated with the electric field observations at the surface.