OBSERVATIONS OF RAPID CHANGES IN THE ORIENTATION AND DEGREE OF ALIGNMENT OF ICE PARTICLES ALONG AN EARTH-SPACE RADIO PROPAGATION PATH

Rapid changes ( less than one quarter s) have been observed in the depolarization of earth-space radio signals propagating through ice clouds. The first observations of the rapid changes in the degree of alignment and in the orientation of the anisotropy axis of the ice particles producing the depolarization are presented. The ice particles appear to be aligned by the intense electric field in thunderstorms and appear to realign rapidly with the new field directions existing after lightning discharges.