Glossary on atmospheric electricity and its effects on biology.

There is an increasing interest to study the interactions between atmospheric electrical parameters and living organisms at multiple scales. So far, relatively few studies have been published that focus on possible biological effects of atmospheric electric and magnetic fields. To foster future work in this area of multidisciplinary research, here we present a glossary of relevant terms. Its main purpose is to facilitate the process of learning and communication among the different scientific disciplines working on this topic. While some definitions come from existing sources, other concepts have been re-defined to better reflect the existing and emerging scientific needs of this multidisciplinary and transdisciplinary area of research.

Synthesis of studies on significant atmospheric electrical effects of major nuclear accidents in Chernobyl and Fukushima.

Radioactive materials released during the two most serious nuclear accidents in history, at Chernobyl and Fukushima, caused exceptionally significant contamination and perturbations of the environment. Among them, this paper focuses on the effects related to the atmospheric electricity (AE). Measurements of the most significant disturbances in the values of various AE parameters recorded near ground level are reviewed and the corresponding results are jointly evaluated. The Chernobyl and Fukushima events caused changes in the AE parameters both after long-distance transport (Chernobyl) and short-distance transport including re-suspension (Fukushima). The data indicates that the electrical conductivity of the air is more sensitive to the presence of airborne radioactivity than the atmospheric electric potential gradient (PG). PG, on the other hand, can be monitored more easily and its variation also reflects the vertical redistribution of radionuclides in the air due to their transport, deposition, and re-suspension from the ground. A brief overview of studies on atmospheric transport and deposition of radioactive clouds is given to facilitate the importance of considering the AE measurements in these subjects, and to incorporate those studies in interpreting the results of AE measurements. The AE measurements are particularly important in studying microphysical effects of enhanced radioactivity in the air where no other distance monitoring method exists, both for fair weather conditions wet conditions.