GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS, 33, L01102, doi:10.1029/2005GL024661, 2006

The importance of atmospheric precipitation in storm-time relativistic electron flux drop outs

M. A. Clilverd¹, C. J. Rodger², Th.Ulich³

¹British Antarctic Survey (NERC), Cambridge, U.K.,
²Dept. of Physics, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand,
³Sodankylä Geophysical Observatory, Sodankylä, Finland.

Abstract

During the sudden decrease of geosynchronous electron flux (>2 MeV) of 17:10–17:20 UT, January 21, 2005 large-scale precipitation into the atmosphere was observed. Estimates from ground-based radio propagation experiments at L≈5 in the Northern and Southern hemispheres suggest that the atmospheric precipitation was less than 1/10 of the flux apparently lost during this 10 minute period. However, continuing precipitation losses from 4<L<6, observed for the next 2.7 hours, provides about 1/2 of the total relativistic electron content lost.

© 2006 by the American Geophysical Union. Further electronic publication not allowed.

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