Forbush decreases and Antarctic cloud anomalies in the upper troposphere

Laken, B. A.; Kniveton, Dominic R.
Referencia bibliográfica

Journal of Atmospheric and Solar-Terrestrial Physics, Volume 73, Issue 2-3, p. 371-376.

Fecha de publicación:
2
2011
Número de autores
2
Número de autores del IAC
0
Número de citas
14
Número de citas referidas
14
Descripción
We demonstrate evidence that past composite based studies centred around the onset of Forbush decrease (FD) events may have improperly isolated the maximal galactic cosmic ray (GCR) decrease associated with the FD events. After an adjustment of the composite to account for such shortcomings we find indications of anomalous cloud cover decreases (of around 3%) located in the upper levels of the troposphere at high southern latitudes. These cloud changes are detectable after latitudinal averaging, suggesting the possibility of a second order relationship between the rate of GCR flux and cloud cover in this region. The maximal cloud change is observed in advance of the maximal GCR decrease; this implies that if the observed cloud changes bear a causal relationship to the rate of GCR flux, then cloud properties may be sensitive to changes in GCR conditions rather than the maximal deviations themselves.