Influence of the 1908 Tunguska Event on the Global Atmospheric Electric Circuit

Determine the influence of the 1908 Tunguska event on the global atmospheric electric circuit by characterizing any event-driven perturbations to atmospheric and ionospheric electrical parameters and clarifying the coupling mechanisms between the lithosphere, atmosphere, and ionosphere during and after June 30, 1908.

Background

The paper reviews atmospheric optical anomalies around late June and early July 1908 and argues that neither asteroidal nor cometary interpretations adequately explain the observations, while a geophysical interpretation may qualitatively account for them. The author discusses potential roles of atmospheric gravity waves, increased water vapor, volcanic aerosols, solar particle events, and electrical discharges in producing the observed optical phenomena.

In exploring electromagnetic aspects, the author notes accounts suggesting large-scale luminous phenomena and a geomagnetic disturbance associated with the event, pointing to possible involvement of ionospheric processes. Within this context, the paper explicitly identifies the need to examine how the Tunguska event may have affected the global atmospheric electric circuit, which describes the electromagnetic coupling across atmospheric layers.