Diurnal variation in the atmospheric electric field with respect to aerosol and meteorological parameters at Islamabad, Pakistan

Fair-weather atmospheric electric field (AEF) data were analysed at the Islamabad Observatory from 2015 to 2019. The key objective is to observe the variation in atmospheric electric field with respect to different meteorological parameters and aerosol. For this purpose, the influence of meteorological parameters and temporal variation was studied. Initially, four local meteorological parameters were chosen to see the effect on the AEF. The daily variation in the AEF curve shows a single prominent peak known as the morning peak, and a very dull secondary afternoon peak is observed. Variation in the atmospheric electric field shows a positive correlation with temperature, pressure, and wind speed. On the other hand, a negative correlation is observed between the atmospheric electric field and relative humidity. The available simultaneous sampling of aerosol (Particulate Matter, PM2.5/PM10) was carried out and compared with the AEF for the four seasons of the year 2017. Generally, a rise in the AEF is observed due to an increase in PM concentration. The annual data showed a significant but weaker correlation of PM2.5/PM10 for the AEF and was found to be more season-dependent.