A laboratory study of ice nucleation due to electrical discharge

Experiments were performed in a walk-in cold room where the lowest attainable temperature is −30 °C to investigate the effect of electrical discharge and high electric fields on ice nucleation. Experiments were carried out at cloud temperatures varying from −9 to −12 °C. It was observed that ice nucleation does occur inside the cloud if there is an electrical discharge inside the cloud. However, not all electrical discharges resulted in ice nucleation. In no case was ice nucleation observed in the presence of high electric fields with no discharge. No ice nucleation was noted in the cloud when the Liquid Water Content (LWC) was greater than 2.1 g m−3.