Based on on-site measurements and numerical modelling, we eliminated the electrostatic shielding effect of nearby trees from the atmospheric electric potential gradient (PG) time series recorded at Nagycenk, Hungary, Central Europe, revealing their actual variation between 1962 and 2009. The comparison with PG data from another station in the same region implies that there may have been coherent regional changes in Earth’s atmospheric electric field during the investigated time period.

The Széchenyi István Geophysical Observatory, also known as the Nagycenk Geophysical Observatory (NCK), is the only measurement site in Hungary where atmospheric electricity (AE) measurements have been made continuously since 1961. Quasi-continuous records of electrical potential gradient (PG) and Schumann resonances (SRs) from NCK are among the longest time series of their kind in Europe. This paper commemorates the efforts of people who established and managed AE measurements at NCK.

This paper presents new laboratory measurements of the shortwave mass absorption efficiency (MAE) used by climate models for mineral dust of different origin and at different sizes. We found that small particles are more efficient, by given mass, in absorbing radiation, particularly at shorter wavelength. Because dust has high concentrations in the atmosphere, light absorption by mineral dust can be competitive to other absorbing atmospheric aerosols such as black and brown carbon.

Lightning is one of the major threats to modern multi-megawatt wind turbines and a concern for new generation of aircraft. Both wind turbines and aircraft can initiate lightning and very favourable conditions for lightning initiation occur in winter thunderstorms. Moreover, winter thunderstorms are characterized for producing very energetic lightning. In this paper we present the global winter lightning activity. Japan, US, Mediterranean, Argentina and New Zealand are the most active areas.