The goal of the work is to investigate the high-current anode phenomena using spectroscopic methods as well as electrical measurements. Different current waveforms and vacuum interrupter properties on the formation of high-current anode phenomena are investigated. Optical emission spectroscopy combined with high-speed camera imaging is used to investigate the temporal and spatial distribution of different species during discharge modes. The ground state density of Cr I before and after current zero is calculated. A new electric arc model based on the existence diagram is proposed.