Solar Wind-Magnetosphere Coupling Effect on Radio Refractivity in 2008 for Minna

Abstract

Solar wind-magnetosphere coupling effect on radio refractivity is investigated from hourly measurement of meteorological parameters and interplanetary parameters for dry and rainy season in Minna (Latitude 9° 36' 50" N and Longitude 6° 33' 24" E) North central, Nigeria for the year 2008. Data used for the work is made up of hourly interval record of meteorological parameters and interplanetary parameters calculated from the data obtained from the Center for Basic Space Science (CBSS) measured with Vantage PRO II Automatic Weather station and through Omini web for each day in all the months of the year in 2008 for both dry and rainy seasons. The result showed that variations of solar wind and radio refractivity time increases almost in an hourly cycle between the 1^st hours to the 14^th hour during dry season while during rainy season, they exhibit linear decrease with time between 1^st hour to the 19^th hour. Also the correlation between solar wind energy with radio refractivity is negligible. It was showed as well that solar wind changes with a positive gradient in dry season while solar wind decreases with negative gradient in rainy season.

Key words: Solar wind, magnetosphere coupling, radio refractivity