Solar Wind Control of the Earth's Electric Field

Abstract

The sun-weather problem is placed within an electrical framework subject to experimental investigation. An explanation is suggested for how solar variability modulates the earth's electric field. The solar wind velocity is inversely correlated with the electrical potential of the ionosphere, a measure of the overall intensity of the earth's fair-weather atmospheric electric field. In seeking a physical cause of this relationship, galactic cosmic radiation was studied and it was also found to be inversely correlated with solar wind velocity. Thus, the earth's electric field intensity which is maintained by worldwide thunderstorm currents-a meteorological phenomenon-varies in phase with cosmic radiation. Since cosmic radiation is the primary source of atmospheric ionization, these findings support a proposed mechanism in which solar control of ionizing radiation modulates atmospheric electrification and thus possibly cloud physical processes. If the latter occurred, atmospheric energetics would be affected. Sun-weather research need no longer only consist of statistical correlations; an experimental approach is described. Establishment of a proposed geoelectric index would add a new dimension to solar-terrestrial studies.

Influence of Galactic and Solar Cosmic Rays on Ionization in the Atmosphere

“…Several authors have studied and published papers on GSCRs forclarifications as follows:Origin of Cosmic Rays [18,19,20,21]; Cosmic Rays in the Earth's Atmosphere [22,23]; Cosmic-ray propagation in the atmosphere [24];Solar and Galactic Cosmic Rays in the Earth's Atmosphere [25,26];Protons and Heliumspectra compositions of cosmic rays [27,28,29,9,30,31,32,33];Cosmic ray and solar protons induced ion and ionization production in the atmosphere and its influence on ozonosphere [34,35,36,37,38,39,40,14,41,42,43,44,45,46],Ionization profiles caused by galacticand solar cosmic rays [47];Ratio of solar cosmic ray ion generation [47,48]; Global atmospheric electrical circuit on climate and Solar windcontrol [49,50,51,52,53,54,55,56,57,58,59,…”

Stratospheric Joule heating by lightning continuing current inferred from radio remote sensing

“…[2] The recent discovery of an electrical discharge from a thundercloud top to the lower ionosphere and gigantic jets [Su et al, 2003] provides direct evidence for an electrodynamic coupling between the troposphere and the ionosphere within the global atmospheric electric circuit [e.g., Rycroft et al, 2000], which may play a critical role in the Earth's climate system [e.g., Carslaw et al, 2002;Markson and Muir, 1980]. These cloud to ionosphere discharges are thought to be initiated by a charge accumulation in the upper part of the thundercloud [Tong et al, 2005;Pasko and George, 2002] since no electromagnetic signatures from the causative lightning discharges have been detected to date [Su et al, 2003;Wescott et al, 1998].…”

Solar Wind Modulation of the Global Electric Circuit and Apparent Effects on Cloud Microphysics, Latent Heat Release, and Tropospheric Dynamics.

“…5(b) and 5(c), taking the flares as representing coronal mass ejections and Forbush decreases). Figures 5(a) and 5(b) are taken from the review by Markson and Muir (1980), showing measurements of air-earth current density over the solar cycle that were made from balloons from Duluth, Minnesota (about 58° gmlat.) by Olson (1983).…”

“…5(c) and 5(d) were made respectively from the mountain sites ofZugspitze (about 40° gmlat.) in Germany (Reiter 1989 (Olson, 1983) plotted against sunspot number, as in Markson and Muir (1980) and Mauna Loa (about 20° gmlat.) in Hawaii (Cobb, 1967).…”