Response of the electric state of the surface atmosphere to the geomagnetic storm of April 5, 2010

Abstract

In this paper we present the most complete set of the responses of the surface atmosphere electric fields to a magnetic storm at a midlatitude observatory. The observation of a whole set of effects was caused by the conditions of the experiment and the peculiarities of the storm. Manifestation of three processes of devel� opment of the storm is demonstrated. A drop in the electric conductivity of the air is related to a decrease in the galactic cosmic ray flux (GCR), which is known as one of the main air ionizers. The sudden start of the storm caused induction effects in the electric fields. During the following stages of the storm, a significant excess of charged particles appeared in the surface air. Many publications have been dedicated to investiga� tion of solar activity effects and related geomagnetic storms in the atmospheric electricity of the high and midlatitudes (see, for example, (1)). Unfortunately, these results are very limited and contradictory. The latter fact can be related not only to the peculiarities of the physical processes in the surface atmosphere dur� ing individual magnetic storms but also, for example, to the choice of the place of recording and also to the state of the atmosphere before and during the storm, etc. A positive correlation between the electric poten�