# Atmospheric Electricity Measurements in the Pacific Northwest, Russia
## 2 A Set of Tools for Studying the Electrical Characteristics of the Surface Atmosphere  
The main instrument for AEF measurements at the Paratunka Observatory is the Pole-2 sensor, developed at the Main Geophysical Observatory Russia. Pole-2 is an electrostatic fluxmeter type device. PG is converted into electric current by means of a rotary electrostatic generator, which is based on the phenomenon of electrostatic induction. The flow of electrostatic induction of the measured field induces an electric charge on the measuring plate. The shielding plate periodically shields the measuring plate in an electric field, due to which the value of the induced charge changes periodically. The charge flowing in and flowing from the plate creates a current in the load circuit. The amplitude of this current is proportional to the PG, the frequency of rotation of the modulating plate and the area of the measuring plate, and the phase is determined by the direction of the electric field at the surface of the measuring plate. Measurement of PG in the Pole-2 sensor is carried out through two channels. The first channel has a resolution of 0.16 V/m and a dynamic range of \(\pm\)200 V/m. The second channel has a resolution of 1.6 V/m and a dynamic range of \(\pm\)2000 V/m. When processing the measurements, the readings of both channels were taken into account. Pole-2 is installed on the site 200 m from the administrative building (Figure 3) at a height of 3 m. The area around it is cleared of trees within a radius of 12 m. The design of the sensor installation is such that the level surfaces of the electric field strength at the measurement point are parallel to the surface land (Figure 2). The lattice design allows air ions to rise freely from the ground surface to the measurement point. The height of the sensor installation was determined by the maximum snow level in winter. The snow level in winter in the area of electric field measurements reaches 2.7 m (Figure 4). Figure 3: Installation of the Pole-2 instrument at the observatory. The next instrument for measuring the electrical characteristics of the atmosphere is \"Electrical Conductivity-2\". It was also developed at the Main Geophysical Observatory Russia. The principle of its action is as follows. Air is blown through a pipe, to the walls of which a condenser is attached. Under the influence of a voltage applied between the plates of the capacitor, an electric current flows to the inner plate. The value of this current is proportional to the value of the polar electrical conductivity. Separately, the electrical conductivity of the air, caused by positive ions and separately by negative ones, is measured. The measurement interval is 1 s.  
The electrical characteristics of the lower atmosphere are highly dependent on meteorological conditions. Therefore, the instruments of the Paratunka Observatory include a digital weather station. It measures the following parameters: air temperature; humidity; wind speed; direction of the wind; pressure; precipitation level; solar radiation intensity; and solar energy flux density. The measurement interval is 10 min. The researcher keeps a log of observations. Meteorological phenomena, the level of cloudiness, the level of snow in winter (Figure 4), and the phenomenon of fog are recorded there. The rain gauge can only correctly measure liquid precipitation. The phenomenon of snowfall is determined by records in the observation log and by measuring the snow cover. The measurement results are broadcast on the Internet. At the end of the day UTC charts are built on the page [[http://www.ikir.ru/en/Data/electr.html](http://www.ikir.ru/en/Data/electr.html)]([http://www.ikir.ru/en/Data/electr.html](http://www.ikir.ru/en/Data/electr.html)) (accessed on 12 February 2023). Access to the archive of measurements is provided through the Common Use Center \"North-Eastern Heliogeophysical Center\" [[[http://www.ikir.ru/en/CUC/](http://www.ikir.ru/en/CUC/)]([http://www.ikir.ru/en/CUC/](http://www.ikir.ru/en/CUC/)) (accessed on 12 February 2023)].