International Commission on Atmospheric Electricity

International Commission on Atmospheric Electricity

The International Commission on Atmospheric Electricity is an international scientific commission concerned with the study of atmospheric electricity, lightning, and related electrical phenomena in the atmosphere of Earth, engaging researchers from institutions such as the World Meteorological Organization, International Union of Geodesy and Geophysics, United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, and national agencies including the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Met Office, and Bureau of Meteorology (Australia). It links scholarly work at universities and laboratories like Imperial College London, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, ETH Zurich, University of Tokyo, University of Cambridge, Stanford University, University of Colorado Boulder and observatories such as Mauna Loa Observatory, Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission, Arecibo Observatory and collaborates with programs including Global Atmospheric Watch, World Climate Research Programme, Global Geospace Science, and Global Lightning Dataset. The commission fosters connections among researchers affiliated with projects like TRMM, GOES-R, Ground-Based Lightning Detection Networks, European Space Agency, National Center for Atmospheric Research, and agencies such as Canadian Space Agency, Indian Space Research Organisation, Chinese Academy of Sciences.

History

Founded in the early 20th century amidst growing international coordination in geophysics, the commission traces roots to scientific meetings involving figures from Royal Society, Académie des Sciences, Deutscher Wetterdienst, Russian Academy of Sciences, U.S. National Academy of Sciences, and explorers associated with Polar research. Early members included scientists linked to institutions like Kew Observatory, University of Manchester, University of Leipzig, Sorbonne University, and field campaigns contemporaneous with expeditions such as HMS Challenger expedition. During the interwar and postwar eras the commission engaged with organizations such as International Council for Science, International Meteorological Organization, and researchers from CERN-adjacent instrumentation groups. In the late 20th century collaborations expanded to include researchers from European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts, Japan Meteorological Agency, Finnish Meteorological Institute, Max Planck Society, CNRS, and boreal studies tied to International Arctic Science Committee. The commission adapted through developments in satellite remote sensing pioneered by programs like Landsat, Nimbus program, ERS, and later integrated data from missions including TRMM, LIS (Lightning Imaging Sensor), and GLM (Geostationary Lightning Mapper).

Organization and Membership

Governance follows protocols common to bodies affiliated with the International Association of Meteorology and Atmospheric Sciences and works with national committees such as Royal Meteorological Society, American Meteorological Society, European Geosciences Union, Chinese Meteorological Society, Indian Meteorological Society, and professional societies like Institute of Physics and American Geophysical Union. Membership comprises individual scientists, institutional delegates from universities including Columbia University, University of Chicago, Princeton University, University of Oxford, University of Melbourne, Seoul National University, and representatives from observatories such as Sodankylä Geophysical Observatory, Goddard Space Flight Center, LAPAN, and laboratories like Los Alamos National Laboratory. The commission forms working groups with experts from NOAA National Severe Storms Laboratory, European Space Research and Technology Centre, Paul Scherrer Institute, Centro de Investigaciones en Ciencias de la Atmósfera, and collaborates with standards bodies such as International Electrotechnical Commission for instrumentation calibration. Honorary members have included researchers associated with Royal Institution, National Physical Laboratory (UK), Institute of Atmospheric Physics (China), and awardees from organizations such as Royal Society and the Nobel Committee-linked scientific community.

Scientific Objectives and Research Activities

The commission coordinates research on lightning physics, thunderstorm electrification, global electric circuit, and ionospheric coupling, drawing on expertise from laboratories including MIT Haystack Observatory, Argonne National Laboratory, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, and university departments at Harvard University, Yale University, Peking University, Tsinghua University, University of São Paulo, and University of Cape Town. Scientific objectives align with observational campaigns using instruments from European Southern Observatory-associated facilities, aircraft programs like NASA ER-2, NASA WB-57, and balloon initiatives such as Project StratoLab and collaborations with teams from CERN for high-energy atmospheric particle studies. Research activities incorporate numerical modeling with centers like ECMWF, NCAR Community Earth System Model, Met Office Unified Model, and analysis using datasets from Copernicus Programme, GRACE, CMIP archives, alongside field campaigns tied to TOGA, GARP, and regional efforts supported by African Monsoon Multidisciplinary Analysis. The commission sponsors laboratory studies in institutions such as Fraunhofer Society, Los Alamos, and experimental facilities at Sandia National Laboratories.

Major Projects and Contributions

Key contributions include synthesis reports influencing instrumentation development for sensors on missions like GOES, Himawari, Meteosat, and the development of ground-based networks exemplified by European Lightning Detection Network, National Lightning Detection Network, and satellite-based products from LIS and GLM. The commission advanced understanding of phenomena such as sprites, jets, and elves through work with researchers affiliated with University of Alaska Fairbanks, University of Arizona, Dartmouth College, University of Leeds, University of Naples Federico II, and experimental collaborations with ESA and JAXA. It has contributed to standards for electric field mills and sensor calibration used by institutions like NIST, Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt, and influenced hazard mitigation guidelines used by infrastructures overseen by entities such as International Civil Aviation Organization and International Maritime Organization. Major projects include coordinated field campaigns, intercomparison exercises involving World Radiation Centre, and multi-institutional studies published alongside research from Nature Geoscience, Geophysical Research Letters, Journal of Geophysical Research, and Atmospheric Research authors.

Meetings, Symposia, and Publications

The commission organizes symposia and sessions at conferences hosted by IUGG General Assembly, AGU Fall Meeting, EGU General Assembly, URSI General Assembly, and standalone colloquia drawing participants from Royal Society meetings, American Association for the Advancement of Science forums, International Conference on Lightning Protection, and regional gatherings such as Asia Oceania Geosciences Society conferences. Proceedings and position papers appear in journals and series associated with Cambridge University Press, Springer Nature, Elsevier, and are cited by reports from Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change working groups and technical notes from World Meteorological Organization. The commission issues newsletters, promotes data sharing through portals used by Copernicus, GEOSS, PANGAEA, and archives collaborative datasets contributing to community resources like Zenodo and institutional repositories at Harvard Dataverse.

Category:Scientific organisations Category:Atmospheric sciences