Abstract. The Nagycenk Geophysical Observatory in Hungary (47 • 38 N, 16 • 43 E) has made continuous measurements of the vertical atmospheric electric Potential Gradient (PG) since 1962. Global signals have previously been identified in the Nagycenk PG data. A long-term decrease has been discovered in the PG measured at the Eskdalemuir Observatory, Scotland (55 • 19 N, 3 • 12 W), suggesting that this represents a global change in the atmospheric electricity related to a decline in cosmic rays. A 40% decline in PG is shown here to have occurred at Nagycenk between 1962 and 2001, also consistent with changes in the air-Earth current measured at Kew (51 • 28 N, 0 • 19 W), London, 1966London, -1978 Comparison of the long-term PG measurements at both Eskdalemuir and Nagycenk gives further evidence to support the hypothesis of a global atmospheric electrical decline from the early twentieth century to the present time, as it is shown that local effects at Nagycenk are unlikely to have dominated the changes there.

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