North-south cosmic ray asymmetry and high speed solar wind

Abstract

The data on the north-south asymmetry in cosmic ray intensity as obtained in the stratospheric radiosound observations at the high-latitude stations Murmansk and Mirny in 1963–1994 are presented. A significant asymmetry (7–10%) but with the opposite sign was found in 1973 (positive) and in 1992–1993 (negative). Rises in the asymmetry sometimes happen simultaneously with the appearance of the asymmetric high-speed streams of solar wind at the Earth's orbit.