Open AccessOn the location of the ionospheric current systems responsible for the lunar and solar magnetic variations
Author(s) -
Butcher E. C.
Publication year - 1980
Publication title -
geophysical journal of the royal astronomical society
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.302
H-Index - 168
eISSN - 1365-246X
pISSN - 0016-8009
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-246x.1980.tb02651.x
Subject(s) - earth's magnetic field , ionosphere , geophysics , current (fluid) , sunspot , geology , electric current , variation (astronomy) , physics , geodesy , atmospheric sciences , astrophysics , magnetic field , oceanography , quantum mechanics
b From a study of the sunspot cycle influence on the lunar ( L ) and solar ( S ) daily geomagnetic variations, Malin, Cecere & Palumbo have suggested that the electric currents responsible for these variations do not flow in the E ‐region as has hitherto been accepted. Indeed they suggested that the L current may even flow in the F 2 region. The consequences of such a suggestion are considered and it is shown that an L current in the F ‐region is highly unlikely from the dynamical point of view. The evidence for E ‐region currents is presented and it is suggested that the variation of E ‐region electron density used by Malin et al . to indicate conductivity changes in that region may not be a reliable indicator of such changes.