HR: 11:20h
AN: A52B-04    [Abstracts]
TI: Cosmic Ray Flux, Global Circuit, Clouds and Climate
AU: * Tinsley, B A
EM: Tinsley@UTDallas.edu
AF: University of Texas at Dallas, FO22, Box 830688, Richardson, TX 75083-0688 United States
AU: Burns, G B
EM: Gary.Burns@aad.gov.au
AF: Australian Antarctic Division, Australian Government, Kingston, 7050 Australia
AB: There is considerable evidence that much of the linkage from cosmic ray flux (CRF) changes to clouds is via changes in the downward current density Jz in the global electric circuit. This circuit responds to a variety of space weather inputs in addition to CRF changes, including polar cap ionospheric potential changes, solar energetic particle events, and relativistic electron flux changes. Responses to such inputs are found not only in Jz and clouds and atmospheric transparency, but also in tropospheric temperature and dynamics and high latitude surface pressure, all of which correlate with the Jz changes either observed or inferred from models. High latitude pressure also responds to Jz changes that are due to tropical thunderstorm generator variability. The responses consist of small repeated perturbations on the day-to-day timescale and have high statistical significance for Jz changes of amplitude of order 10%. Much greater changes in tropospheric dynamics and climate are consistent with multidecadal solar minima and millennial timescale CRF variations up to an order of magnitude larger at high latitudes. Some suggested cloud microphysical mechanisms responding to Jz changes will be discussed.
DE: 0320 Cloud physics and chemistry
DE: 1650 Solar variability (7537)
DE: 2104 Cosmic rays
DE: 3304 Atmospheric electricity
DE: 3305 Climate change and variability (1616, 1635, 3309, 4215, 4513)
SC: Atmospheric Sciences [A]
MN: Fall Meeting 2005