The Laboratory participates in multidisciplinary complex research aimed at studying the earth’s electric field, the composition and electrical structure of the middle atmosphere. The research has included external and onboard instrumentation, real experiments, measurement results analysis and numerical modelling of atmospheric processes.
Special instrumentation has been designed to study variation in geoelectric field: it is used to research spatial and temporal variations of the surface electric field under different geophysical conditions, including from the board research vessel located in the Pacific Ocean. The primary goal of the current research is to detect possible geoelectric earthquake precursors.
The following research results have been obtained:
- A unique complex rocket experiment aimed at researching the reaction of the middle atmosphere on the solar proton events was conducted in cooperation with the Central Aerological Observatory (Rosgidromet). During the experiment direct simultaneous measurements of ozone, nitrogen oxide, temperature, ion concentration and electric field intensity were made in the course of the most powerful solar proton events.
- Large electric fields in vicinity of luminous clouds (82-84 km) were registered for the first time and the first experimental proof that submicron ice particles (13-40 nm in size) exist at the heights of the so-called polar mesosphere summer echoes (PMSE) was obtained. During the international rocket radar experiment “Silver clouds – 91” with the participation of NASA, the Swedish Space corporation, the Norwegian Institute for Defense Studies, universities in Austria, Germany, the USA, Sweden, the Central Administrative District (CAO), and NSU) carried out at the Esrange Space Center (Sweden).
- At the heights of 60-70 km large vertical electric fields whose intensity is about several volts per meter have been detected in the mesosphere.
- The correlation between electric field intensity and aerosol content in the middle atmosphere has been identified for the first time.
- Measurement technuques and rocket equipment to study electrical characteristics of the middle atmosphere and the content of nitrogen oxide and aerosols in it have been designed. The designed equipment has been used in a number of experiments to research middle atmosphere, including the earth’s ozone layer.
- One-, two and three-dimensional models of the middle atmosphere had been designed that were used to study spatial and temporal variations in the structure of the middle atmosphere and the ozon layer conditioned by the solar and volcanic activity as well as anthropogenic factors.
Research into the impact of the stratosphere aviation on the earth’s ozone layer financed by a grant from the Russian Fund for Funfamental Research and the contract with NASA (USA).
The Laboratory works in partnership with the following organisations: the Central Aerological Observatory (Rosgidromet), the Institute of Atmospheric Physics AS CR, the International Meteorological Institute (Stockholm).
The Laboratory is a member of the Division of Atmospheric research
The Head of the Laboratory: Alexander Zadorozhny (Ph. D., Physics), Associate Professor e-mail: zadorozh@phys.nsu.ru
General Physics Section at NSU
