Effects of geomagnetic activity on the mesospheric electric fields

Abstract

Abstract. The results of three series of rocket measurements of mesospheric electric ®elds carried out under dierent geomagnetic conditions at polar and high middle latitudes are analysed. The measurements show a clear dependence of the vertical electric ®elds on geomagnetic activity at polar and high middle latitudes. The vertical electric ®elds in the lower mesosphere increase with the increase of geomagnetic indexes u p and u p . The simultaneous increase of the vertical electric ®eld strength and ion conductivity was observed in the mesosphere during geomagnetic disturbances. This striking phenomenon was displayed most clearly during the solar proton events of October, 1989 accompanied by very strong geomagnetic storm u p 8. A possible mechanism of generation of the vertical electric ®elds in the mesosphere caused by gravitational sedimentation of charged aerosol particles is discussed. Simultaneous existence in the mesosphere of both the negative and positive multiply charged aerosol particles of dierent sizes is assumed for explanation of the observed V/m vertical electric ®elds and their behaviour under geomagnetically disturbed conditions. Keywords. Atmospheric composition and structure (aerosols and particles) á Ionosphere (electric ®elds and currents) á Meteorology and atmospheric dynamics (atmospheric electricity)

Atmospheric electric field anomalies associated with solar flare/coronal mass ejection events and solar energetic charged particle "Ground Level Events"

“…Moreover, 15 the energetic charged particle precipitation may "short out" such existing mesospheric and stratospheric electric fields, producing either an increase or decrease of E z (Hale and Croskey, 1979;Zadorozhny et al, 1994). In particular, in Holzworth et al (1987), Zadorozhny et al (1994), Zadorozhny and Tyutin (1998) and Kasatkina and Shumilov (2005) it was shown that the increase of the vertical component of the electric field 20 strength during a GLE event is possible if the total aerosol change increases with the ion pair production rate increase more than that of the conductivity. For example, this phenomenon may be considered in the charged aerosol gravitational sedimentation physical mechanism (Aikin and Maynard, 1990;Zadorozhny et al, 1994;Zadorozhny and Tyutin, 1998…”

Book of Proceedings Tenth Workshop Primorsko, Bulgaria 2019

“…Proceedings of Eleventh Workshop "Solar Influences on the Magnetosphere, Ionosphere and Atmosphere" Primorsko, Bulgaria, June 3÷7, 2019 Features of vertical electric fields in mesosphere and stratosphere In a series of rocket experiments above Heiss Island (80°37N, 58°03E) and above southern Indian Ocean [Zadorozhny et al, 1998] found unusually large (~1 V/m) vertical electric field Ez in the mesosphere which still remain unexplained. Fig.3 demonstrates profiles of Ez in three cases above Indian Ocean.…”

Electrodynamical Coupling of Earth's Atmosphere and Ionosphere: An Overview

“…The inherent current sources [119,120] in the mesosphere may generate large DC electric fields in the 50-70 km region [121], which has been observed via rocket measurements [122,123] and remotely via a series of MF radar measurements [124][125][126][127]. The large DC electric fields increase the electron temperature and effective collision frequency in D-region.…”