Author: Flavio Gori
A quick report about a well known flash phenomena experienced in the Norwegian Valley and possibly many other (especially higher latitudes) sites, worldwide is presented. The starting point I am considering is the non-ducted propagation system, the one experienced by Whistler signal.
Electronic currents precipitating in the lower atmosphere especially
around the magnetic Poles areas, may get gravitation, as well
magnetic
influences, maybe even generate by solar wind and IMF, able to
produce one or more break in the principal flowdown in order to
produce a group of scattered
charged particles, going down toward the ground in different areas
than the big one. (and well beyond).
These scattered flows can be found in channels around the local magnetic meridian and travelling in spiral shape, can reach far away sites from the atmosphere entering point, introducing influence in electron density, temperature and speed in the affected area in a transient and unexpected way, very difficult to foresee (maybe even to measure). I suspect these side-phenomena may introduce lightings, matching the right local (chemical and physical) connections.
These ones may be added even by some other events.
Solar flares can influence in hard way the terrestrial magnetic
field cracking it around the magnetic meridian and getting strong
electric currents toward the ground.
Once they get the Earth surface, these electric currents can couple
with long electric lines wires from power stations, acting as
antennas (subject under research by Freund 2004 and Manninen 2005,
between others). Firstly receiving the energy, then transmitting
the energy throughout the normal electric lines all around the
area covered by the local electric system. In this way electric
energy can be distributed as long
as electric lines may serve the zone until 1000 km with no apparent
loss of energy (Freund, 2004).
Electric power stations and energetic fields associated, stimulated
by flares energy, trigger energetic flows to develope themselves
towards higher altitudes for one thousand meters on the sea level
in few seconds.
Interactions between solar flare energy and power stations on
the earth surface can collect very high power and sometime the
security systems stop the electric energy penetrating our houses.
In the northern latititudes we can also experience one more action: strong electronic rain (such as LEP, though precipitation of energetic electron can also be caused by obliquely propagating "nonducted" whistlers (Johnson et al., 1999) - Ionosphere - AGU Publications.) able to add energy by the just said system, in order to produce transient phenomena going to impact energy from flares and power station toward the electric lines and the vertical variation.
To realize about how many miles can be interested by the electric
lines way, please keep in mind how many electric wires are connected
to each other: bigger and thinner, crossing one way and another,
until they arrive to our houses from the power stations. Every
house is involved, with wires going and going back from and to
every human site.
I suppose that this is why we are experiencing a strong electricity
in the lower Hessdalen valley atmosphere. In the vicinity there
are 2 important electric power stations: Glåmos (25 km South/
East) e Tydalen (45 km North/East). These stations may give the
decisive and needed step to trigger the flashes phenomena.
Our experience in the valley is limited to the times of our stay there: July 2001-August 2002 and one more group reporting about flashes during September 2003. Reports from these groups are enough to say that flashes have been seen by many groups members. A quick research through GOES satellites in the Electron and X Rays events, shows a good (though approximate) connection with my hypothesis.
Of course more data will give better results.
