Variability of Schumann resonance parameters observed at low latitude stations in China

Abstract

This paper presents a comprehensive analysis of the Schumann resonance (SR) parameters observed at low latitude stations in China for the first time. Variations of SR peak frequency and intensity on different timescales (from minutes to years) are analyzed in detail. Diurnal and seasonal variations are shown and the source-observer distance is calculated to confirm the contributions of lightning activity. Differences in the profiles of SR intensity between the NS and EW components are due to the effects of the source-observer distance and the relative position of the observer to the sources. Diurnal frequency variations are more complicated and cannot be directly linked with the three thunderstorm centers. Seasonal variations are clear for intensity but not for frequency. The differences in the diurnal and seasonal variations between the SR intensity and frequency show that the greatest contributor to SR intensity is global lightning activity, while the SR frequency is not affected solely by lightning, as certain other factors involving ionosphere properties may play non-negligible roles. We also emphasize that our observations do not show a distinct day–night change in the SR parameters, and that the SR intensity does not show abrupt changes across terminators. This observation is consistent with previous simulations. Finally, the response of the SR to a solar flare is discussed. The flare leads to a sudden increase of about 0.2Hz relative to the 2σ level of the SR frequencies in the first three modes, which is in agreement with other works in the literature. This frequency enhancement is explained using theoretical calculations.