Electrified water drops and ice particles play an important role in many natural phenomena. The most obvious example is the lighting that accompanies thunderstorms, tornadoes and active volcanoes. The key to this electrification is the charge separations that occur on the breakup of water or ice surfaces. Here recent advances in experimental and theoretical studies by chemists and physicists on the interfaces of water and ice are opening up the possibility of understanding electrification on a molecular level.

A goal of the workshop is to bring together scientists from the diverse communities of engineers, chemists, physicists, and atmospheric scientists to develop a deeper understanding of the phenomena of electrification in the natural environment.