Disturbance of the Electric Field in the D-Region of the Ionosphere with an Increase in Radon Emanation

Abstract

When radon emanates, the conductivity in surface air increases, which causes variation in the electric field not only in the lower atmosphere, but also in the ionosphere. There have been proposals to use such ionospheric disturbances as earthquake precursors. The ionospheric electric fields are calculated using a quasi-stationary model of an atmospheric conductor including the ionosphere. Earlier, we showed that even with extreme radon emanation, electric field disturbances in the E- and F-regions of the ionosphere are several orders of magnitude smaller than the supposed earthquake precursors and smaller than the fields usually existing there, which are created by other generators. In this paper, we focus on the D-region. In the vertical component of the electric field strength, the main contribution to the D-region comes from the fair-weather field. It is shown that in the D-region, the vertical electric field component over the area of intense radon emanation can double in comparison with the fair-weather field. A detailed spatial pattern of disturbances of electric fields and currents in the atmosphere and ionosphere over the radon emanation region is constructed.