The role of cosmic rays in the Earth’s atmospheric processes

Abstract

In this paper, we have provided an overview of cosmic ray effects on terrestrial processes such as electrical properties, global electric circuit, lightning, cloud formation, cloud coverage, atmospheric temperature, space weather phenomena, climate, etc. It is suggested that cosmic rays control short-term and long-term variations in climate. There are many basic phenomena which need further study and require new and long-term data set. Some of these have been pointed out.

Variability of Low Energy Cosmic Rays Near Earth

“…Paper by (Ermakov et al, 2009) shows that the main parameters of atmospheric electricity are related to CR. The mechanisms of solar forcing of the climate and long term climate change is summarized, and the role of energetic charged particles (including CR) on cloud formation and their effect on climate is discussed in (Siingh et al, 2010;. Results of spectral analysis of surface atmospheric electricity data (42 years of Potential Gradient, PG at Nagycenk, Hungary) showed ~1.7 year quasi-periodicity (Harrison and Märcz, 2007).…”

Space Weather: Physics, Effects and Predictability

“…The GCR activity is anti-correlated with the main solar activity indices (such as sunspot number) (McCracken et al 2004). The GCR flux also responds to solar wind variation on both long and short time scales (Kudela 2009;Siingh and Singh 2010). In the heliosphere, plasma turbulence is not well characterized and hence the transport of charged particles parallel and perpendicular to the mean magnetic fields are not well understood.…”

“…Reliable quantitative models of CR ionization are based on an analytical approximation of the atmospheric cascade (O'Brien 2005) and on a full Monte Carlo simulation of the atmospheric cascade, including all the secondaries (Desorgher et al 2005;Velinov and Mishev 2007). The additional ionization produced by GCRs enhances the conductivity of the lower atmosphere and hence may enhance the thunderstorm current which charges the global atmospheric electric circuit by facilitating enhanced charge transfer between the thunderstorms to the Earth (Singh et al 2004;Siingh et al 2007;Siingh and Singh 2010).…”

“…Recently, Rycroft and Odzimek (2010) have discussed the effects of lightning and sprites on the ionospheric potential, and threshold effects on sprite initiation, obtained using an analog model of the global atmospheric electric circuit. The effects of GCRs on aerosol, lightning, ozone, cloud coverage and global temperature have been reviewed by Siingh and Singh (2010). Finally, it is suggested that a model of the GEC, including stratospheric aerosols, cloud cover, upward lightning, cosmic rays and the solar wind as inputs, needs to be developed.…”

“…This is based on the fact that the Larmor radii of GCRs in the interplanetary medium are sufficiently large that they are affected by large scale interplanetary magnetic field inhomogenities originating at the Sun well before the disturbances reach the Earth's orbit and geomagnetic disturbances occur (Marusek 2007;Siingh and Singh 2010).…”