Characterization of magnetic field horizontal component in selected stations along the 210o MM

Abstract

Characterizing the magnetic field horizontal component (H) variability helps to better accommodate the irregular fluctuations in
the electron/ion density of the ionosphere for mitigating short-wave radio communication and Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) disruptions. This study employed three year data (2007-2009) from Magnetic Data Acquisition System (MAGDAS) facilities at six (6) observatories along the 210o magnetic meridian (MM) for investigating hourly, seasonal and annual variations in the horizontal  component of the Earth’s magnetic field. The baseline value of H was computed from its average value near local midnight hours between 2400 and 0100 local time (LT) and subtracted from other hours value for the hourly variation; while the monthly and annual averages were computed for seasonal and yearly analysis respectively. Results indicates that maximum values of Sq are recorded in equinoctial season with an annual peak value of 70.96 nT for year 2009 recorded at Langkawi (LKW) as against the lowest peak value of 27.45 nT recorded in Cooktown (CKT) at 1300LT.

Keywords: Magnetic field, horizontal component, solar quiet, seasonal variation, solar equinox