Earth - atmosphere

[GaryN]

Scientists identify a plasma plume that naturally protects the Earth against solar storms

The Earth's magnetic field, or magnetosphere, stretches from the planet's core out into space, where it meets the solar wind, a stream of charged particles emitted by the sun. For the most part, the magnetosphere acts as a shield to protect the Earth from this high-energy solar activity.

Read more at: http://phys.org/news/2014-03-scientists ... h.html#jCp

If you enlarge the image at the site, it becomes an animation, a bit slow to load, but I wonder how such changes can NOT have effects on the weather, or perhaps geomagnetic currents.

[webolife]

That's pretty fascinating Gary... it appears that the earth recirculates plasma into the Van Allen belts, so not only solar originated particles but terrestrial as well? Perhaps some of the upper atmospheric circulation being discussed earlier in this thread is contributing to this plume of upwardly flowing material; I'm visualizing a generally
polar-to-equatorial flow of auroral plasma that cycles back up into the Van Allen regions. The description of the plumes seems to indicate they are equatorial, so I'm also visualizing a dynamical toroid of plasma involved in generating the plumes...

[John Starr]

Hello all.

Not really a reply to anyone's post in particular but simply just a contribution. I wanted to pass along this article and thought this to be the proper section in the forum. Please enjoy the read. Forgive if someone already posted it and I missed it. A good article is always worthy of reposting in any case


http://m.phys.org/news/2014-03-scientis ... earth.html

The article deals with terrestrial based plasma plumes recently detected that aid in dedense against the harmful effects of the solar wind. It mentions magnetic "reconnection" which I know is a topic of contention. Please comment and reply with your analysis(s). Thank you

[electrodogg1]

Below is a link to a 4.5 minute video found on NASA website spaceweather.com. It was taken by some airline pilots and shows a tornado going from the top of a cloud up to the ionosphere. First time this has been reported that I know of.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7eomvFly ... e=youtu.be

[viscount aero]

That's bizarre and amazing.

[electrodogg1]

So I assume like a tornado from a cloud to ground, this phenomenon is an electrical connection from the cloud to the ionosphere in dark mode.

[viscount aero]

So I assume like a tornado from a cloud to ground, this phenomenon is an electrical connection from the cloud to the ionosphere in dark mode.

That's exactly what I would assume, yes.

[Steve Smith]

This is most likely a camera artifact similar to this one:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2S9anC1znoQ

It's moisture on the lens distorting the image. The moisture layer causes refraction. The rapid movement early in the video demonstrates that. The atmosphere doesn't provide for a phenomenon like a vortex out of the top of a thunderstorm. The sprites and jets that do accompany them are seen at significantly higher altitudes.

[viscount aero]

I don't think the OP's link is due to lens aberration.

[CharlesChandler]

That's a "sun dog", which is the polarization of ice particles due to electric fields. When discharges occur inside the cloud, the fields change, and the difference propagates at the speed of light. This enables the phenomenon to make dramatic changes very quickly. That cloud is probably about 10 km tall, so the dog itself looks to be about 1 km tall. At one point, it shifted about 1 km, in 1/4 of a second. Air can't move that fast, so no, that isn't a vortex in the air -- it's evidence of electric fields.

[webolife]

Charles is correct. The alignment of the ice crystals which are spinning hexagonal prisms refracts the sunlight prismatically as an atmospheric halo, and further creates or is associated with a local electrical polarization which is subject to rapid change. However it does appear that there is an unusual vortex of these ice crystals above the cloud top, extending perhaps a hundred or more yards upward. There may be some upper atmospheric electricity involved as other "sprite" threads have discussed.

[Solar]

This has been referenced before via the work of W. Beaty who referred to the phenomena as the result of ice crystals altered by electrostatic fields:

"'Crown Flash' & 'Leaping Sundogs'"

[Native]

To me there´s clearly a left hand turning vortex going on. If this is made by simple thermodynamics or electrodynamics - or both - I don´t know.

[CharlesChandler]

To me there´s clearly a left hand turning vortex going on. If this is made by simple thermodynamics or electrodynamics - or both - I don´t know.

How does a vortex shift horizontally -- at a supersonic speed?

[Native]

How does a vortex shift horizontally -- at a supersonic speed?

You are right on observing a swift horizontal motion of the vortex. Can this maybe be caused by a double layer fluctuation and exchange of charge between the cloud and the upper atmosphere? (Ligthnings also moves horizontally)