Equatorial electrojet strengths in the Indian and American sectors. PartI. During low solar activity.

Abstract

Strengths of the equatorial electrojets are derived at Indian and American sectors employing the same procedure as in Part I, for high solar activity years. On examining the morphological features of the strengths at this activity including the counter electrojet events, a comparative study is made with these results and those obtained for low solar activity years. It is noticed that the strengths in the American sector are uniformly larger during high solar activity when compared with low activity years. Similar increase at high over low is within the theoretically derived ratio at the Indian sector. Probable reasons for this enhanced ratio at American sector are discussed.Morning counter electrojet events are found to be larger in number in both the sectors during high solar activity years. However, afternoon counter electrojet phenomenon is confined to low solar activity years and is more prominent in the Indian sector. The simultaneous occurrence of counter electrojet intervals at both the sectors in the two phases of solar activity show that the morning simultaneous events are more during high and afternoon events more in low solar activity years. Lunar influence appears to exist in the occurrence of morning counter electrojet which maximises at the lunar ages 05 and 17 at both phases of solar activity.