[alocky (Andrew lockwood)]

There is actually a great deal of science around measuring electric fields on the surface of the earth.
In the field of geophysics we call them telluric currents, and when measured in conjunction with the magnetic field we can determine the conductivity of the earth below the system. The sources of these fields generally arise due to the interaction of the solar wind and the geomagnetic field.
The specialisation related to this so the study of magnetotellurics.
It tells us nothing about local weather ( other than lightning) or 'brainwaves' or ether, or any of the wild theories associated with the 'electric universe' made so popular on Usenet many years ago...
Cheers
Andrew