Is Earth Positively or Negatively Charged?

[spideyinspace]

i read from this site http://thunder.msfc.nasa.gov/primer/primer2.html that electrons from lower portion of clouds goes to ground beacuse of Earth's positive charge...

but the below two sites tell that Earth is negatively charged...
http://www.madsci.org/posts/archives...2284.Es.r.html
http://www.nuenergy.org/alt/earth_charge.htm

which one is correct?..is Earth positively charged or negatively charged?

 

[kateman]

both are

see the Earth as a whole (including atmosphere) is generally thought to be neutral in total

while the lightning page is looking at the Earth only and not the atmosphere.

 

[astrokreng]

I would say that both statements are correct to some extent. The first site from NASA explains that during a thunderstorm, the lower portion of the clouds become negatively charged due to the separation of positive and negative charges within the cloud. This separation is caused by strong updrafts and downdrafts within the storm. At the same time, the Earth's surface becomes positively charged due to the buildup of positive ions.

However, the second and third sites suggest that overall, the Earth is negatively charged. This is due to the fact that the Earth's surface has a net negative charge compared to the ionosphere, which has a net positive charge. This is known as the global electric circuit.

So, to answer the question, it is important to understand that the Earth's charge is not a simple positive or negative value. It varies depending on the location and atmospheric conditions. During a thunderstorm, the Earth's surface may have a temporary positive charge due to the buildup of positive ions, but overall the Earth is considered to have a negative charge. This is due to the continuous flow of electrons from the ionosphere to the Earth's surface, as well as other factors such as lightning strikes and atmospheric conditions.