Atmospheric Vorticity Production in Electrified Clouds

The rate to which vertical vorticity is created or retarded in electrified clouds is calculated from the cross product of the charge gradient and the electric field and compared with the magnitude of the vertical vorticity produced dynamically. Calculations are made for clouds on the thunderstorm, mesoscale, and synoptic scales for midlatitude and tropical conditions. The results show that, in moderately electrified clouds with particle charges an order of magnitude less than the observed maxima, the production of vorticity by electrostatic forces approaches or slightly exceeds the dynamic production in thunderstorm anvil clouds and on the mesoscale in the Tropics. Highly electrified clouds with maximum particle charges can produce vorticity at rates comparable to its dynamic production on all scales except the synoptic scale in midlatitudes. To the extent that cloud charging conditions caused by the global electric field and midtropospheric conductivity conditions are perturbed by solar events or solar-included electromagnetic disturbances, some solar influence on the electrical conditions could be expected in the midtroposphere where clouds of the suitable type and extent form as a consequence of the normal meteorological processes. Where the electrical conditions exceed the threshold required for the production of vorticity dynamically, organized circulations produced electrophysically are possible in a solar-disturbed, large-scale electrical environment.