Review of Relationships Between Solar Wind and Ground-Level Atmospheric Electricity: Case Studies from Hornsund, Spitsbergen, and Swider, Poland

Abstract

This paper reviews individual cases of the relationships between variations of solar wind parameters and variations of the DC vertical atmospheric electric field, $$E_z$$ E z , and current density, $$J_z$$ J z , measured at ground level in the Arctic, at the S. Siedlecki Polish Polar Station Hornsund, Spitsbergen (Svalbard, Norway), and at the mid-latitude S. Kalinowski Geophysical Observatory in Swider (Poland). A considerable number of events from Hornsund confirmed previous observations of regularity of effects related to the station’s position against the location of the potential bays of ionospheric convection and polar electrojets, observed in other polar locations, as well as effects of other polar cap current systems. This allowed us to conclude that the physical dependence of ground-level $$E_z$$ E z and $$J_z$$ J z on solar wind changes produce measurable effects which do not require statistical analysis to be observed. We can also expect that the dependence does exist, especially in strongly disturbed circumstances, e.g., following solar flares and Earth-directed coronal mass ejections, at middle latitudes. However, further investigations of these physical relationships by this approach are practically almost impossible since a very large number of variable parameters simultaneously affect the recorded lower atmospheric variables. In addition, results of quantitative analysis of predicted and observed effects are not satisfactory. Future research studies require more efficient ways of investigation by theoretical treatment and modelling work using existing and novel observational data besides taking advantage of scientific progress in magnetospheric physics.

Responses of the AC/DC Global Electric Circuit to Volcanic Electrical Activity in the Hunga Tonga‐Hunga Ha'apai Eruption on 15 January 2022

“…Among the few attempts to demonstrate correlated variations in PG records on a global‐scale, Michnowski et al. (2021) examined the correspondence between PG records from Hornsund station (in the Spitsbergen) and from the SWI station on individual days and also statistically in the time period 2004–2011. They concluded that the high correlation between these stations is “seldom”.…”

“…In principle, the PG depends on the global state of the DC GEC (Aplin & Harrison, 2014) but it is still unclear how large a global change in the DC GEC must be in order for it to be in fact detectable globally in measured PG time series. On the hourly time scale, possible traces of space weather events has been sought in PG records (Kleimenova et al., 2008; Michnowski et al., 2021; Smirnov, 2014), most notably in association with solar proton events (Nicoll & Harrison, 2014; Tacza et al., 2018) and Forbush decreases (Märcz, 1997; Sheftel et al., 1992). Contribution of these events to the GEC is difficult to detect on a global scale.…”

“…As for shorter time scales, Genge (2018) suggested a relatively short‐term global response (“disturbance or collapse”) of the DC GEC on the order of minutes for supervolcano events in which charged ash may levitate from the top of the stratosphere into the lower ionosphere within ∼2 hr of the eruption. Although the PG depends in part on the global state of the DC GEC (Aplin & Harrison, 2014), very few attempts have been made to date to examine any global‐scale effect in the DC GEC by using PG measurements from well separated measuring stations (Michnowski et al., 2021; Riabova, 2022; Tacza et al., 2022).…”

Analysis of diurnal, seasonal and annual variations of fair weather atmospheric potential gradient at reduced number concentration of condensation nuclei from long-term measurements at Świder, Poland

“…This restriction limited the amount of available data. Michnowski et al (2021) used FW PG values with at least 12 hours of fair weather conditions. In this work we increase the amount of data taking in account every FW hourly value to calculate the diurnal and seasonal variation.…”

“…Previous analyses of the diurnal variation of the PG indicate that Świder is characterised by the double oscillation prevalent in the summer (Northern Hemisphere summer), and the single oscillation in the winter. Furthermore PG values in winter are of higher average amplitude, explained by the higher emissions of anthropogenic aerosols affecting the local electric conductivity (Warzecha, 1976;Kubicki et al, 2003Kubicki et al, , 2007Michnowski et al, 2021). This is rather a typical behaviour of the PG at a rural land station (Israël, 1973a).…”