The Beginnings of Atmospheric Electricity Measurements at the Geophysical Observatory in Świder
At the edge of the Świder forest, just south of Warsaw, stands one of Poland’s oldest geophysical research stations. Today it is known as the Stanisław Kalinowski Geophysical Observatory, but its roots go back more than a century. In 1929, the Observatory began something remarkable: systematic measurements of atmospheric electricity. More precisely, the electric potential gradient, equivalent to ground level electric field, naturally present between the Earth and the atmosphere, was measured. The potential gradient is a measure of the electrical activity in the Earth’s atmosphere which is stored as if in a global condenser.
These measurements – quiet, patient recordings made day after day – were among the first of their kind in Poland. Though the Second World War interrupted the effort and destroyed much of the documentation, the decade of work completed before 1939 laid the foundation for modern atmospheric electricity research carried out in Świder today.
Last updated 20 March 2026