SHORT PERIOD VARIATIONS OF ATMOSPHERIC TEMPERATURE AND ELECTRICAL CONDUCTIVITY IN THE STRATOSPHERE

Abstract

Apparently related fluctuations of atmospheric temperature and electric field and current were simultaneously observed at an approximately constant height level of about 28 km in the stratosphere for about 9 hours at night in a large balloon experiment. The periods of the fluctuations range from about 10 minutes to 2 hours. The phase differences between both variations have roughly equal values between 90° and 180° or -90° and -180° regardless of their periods. Using the polarization factors of temperature and conductivity derived from the theory of atmospheric internal gravity waves, the phase differences are calculated taking vertical wavelength as a parameter, and they are shown to be constant at longer periods than about 20 minutes. It is, however, difficult to explain the large values of the phase differences.