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Researchers from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem monitored air quality for seven months and discovered that exhaust gases and traffic particles reduce atmospheric conductivity, causing immediate changes in the intensity of the urban electric field during peak congestion times
Researchers from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem monitored, during seven months in 2024, how traffic emissions in the Tel Aviv region alter the atmospheric electric field, establishing a direct physical link between pollution spikes and local electrical variability.
Monitoring and Methodology Applied in Israel
The study was led by researchers from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, in Israel. The team used an electric field mill installed in the city of Holon. Measurements were taken throughout 2024 to capture detailed variations in the urban environment.
The results obtained by the equipment were compared with air quality data collected over a period of seven months. To ensure the accuracy of the analysis, only measurements from good weather days were included in the final data set.
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This filtering was necessary to eliminate any external interference caused by rain and storms. The goal was to isolate exclusively the anthropogenic effects on the electric field, without the intense natural fluctuations caused by severe weather phenomena.
Several specific pollutants were monitored during the investigation. The list included gases and particles directly from vehicle exhaust and tire wear. Additional compounds formed through chemical reactions with gases already present in the atmosphere were also considered.
Impact of Pollutants and Peak Times
The analyses were coordinated with local air quality and meteorological data. Scientists examined how fine particles (PM2.5) and nitrogen oxides (NOx) influence the Potential Gradient (PG). The PG serves as an indicator of the atmospheric electric field close to the ground.
The data showed that traffic pollution in Tel Aviv exerts an immediate impact on the region’s electric field. It was observed that NOx gases and vehicle congestion peak simultaneously. This occurs during peak hours, both at the beginning and end of the workday.
The research team directly related the intensity of the electric field to the times of highest car flow. An association was also observed between PM2.5 particles and the electric field, although with a temporal difference compared to the gases.
In the case of PM2.5 particles, the effect was recorded with a delay of about two and a half hours. The researchers attributed this interval to differences in size, chemical composition, and residence time of these particles in the atmosphere.
A notable effect was also reported on weekends. There were significant drops in traffic pollution during these periods, which corresponded to a weakening of the electric field. This data further confirms that the two factors are indeed related.
Mechanisms of Conductivity Reduction
Geoscientist Roy Yaniv from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem stated that a direct physical link between emission spikes and electrical variability was observed. According to him, nitrogen oxides reduce atmospheric conductivity very quickly.
Due to this reduction in conductivity, the electric field responds almost instantly during peak traffic times. The reason behind this effect is the ions, which are charged particles present in the air.
Pollutants capture these ions, reducing the conductivity of the atmospheric electric field. This, in turn, triggers a compensatory effect where the electric field becomes stronger to balance the change in charge.
The atmospheric electric field results from natural charge differences between the surface and the upper atmosphere. This system is primarily driven by the turbulence of currents formed in storms, but factors such as local climatic fluctuations and pollution also influence this planetary circuit.
Implications for Urban Health and Safety
Previous studies have shown how urban smoke can interfere with the electric field. Now, there is solid evidence about the impact that air pollution caused specifically by traffic can also have on this environmental system.
These changes are not considered dangerous. The variations in levels are relatively small. They would not be sufficient to destabilize climatic systems or interfere with any electronic devices or similar infrastructure.
The main conclusion points to the usefulness of electric field measurements in monitoring pollution. This metric can provide more data on the level of threat from traffic exhaust gases to health in cities.
The results enhance the understanding of the interaction between urban pollution and the local electric field. The researchers emphasize the importance of integrating air quality data into atmospheric electricity studies, especially in densely populated areas where human influences are pronounced.
The complete research, detailing the methodology and findings on the interaction between traffic and the atmosphere, was published in the journal Atmospheric Research (Yaniv et al., 2025).
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