AE13A-3355:
Model Simulations of the Diurnal and Seasonal Variations of the Global Electric Circuit Using a Consistent 3D Model Framework
Monday, 15 December 2014
Greg Lucas1, Victor Bayona2, Natasha Flyer2, Andreas Josef Gerhard Baumgaertner1 and Jeffrey P Thayer1, (1)University of Colorado at Boulder, Boulder, CO, United States, (2)National Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, CO, United States
Abstract:
We introduce a new numeric solver for the partial differential equations of the Global Electric Circuit (GEC). The model is applied to derive the ionospheric potential with respect to the Earth, as well as the current distribution and electric fields throughout the atmosphere. We will discuss its advantages to previously published approaches, and introduce the model's application within a larger model framework that consistently describes the thunderstorm/electrified cloud current source distribution and conductivity. The new source and conductivity distributions will be utilized in the new numeric GEC solver to demonstrate the effect that temporal and spatial variability of these inputs have on electric fields and currents throughout the domain.
