On the origin of background fluctuations in electric field measurements on the seafloor

Abstract

The origin of background fluctuations in the natural electric field observed in the measurements on the seafloor of shallow seas and oceans, as well as in the lakes and estuaries of large rivers is considered. It is shown that the presence of these fluctuations, which have a quasi-harmonic behavior, is due to the surface waves and can be accounted for by the action of the (1) magnetohydrodynamic and/or (2) electrokinetic effects, with the predominance of the latter in the freshwater basins. The excitation models of the background fluctuations in the electric field by both the long surface waves and interacting short waves are analyzed. The estimates of the electric field of background fluctuations are obtained.