Stratospheric and mesospheric temperatures and solar activity

Abstract

The response of the stratospheric and mesospheric mean temperatures to the variations m 10.7 cm solar radio flux during a 11-year solar cycle has been investigated. This involves the correlation and regression studies between the annual mean 10.7 cm solar radio flux and the annually averaged temperatures for the two regions of the atmosphere, over Thumba (8 deg. N, 77 deg. E), India, during the period 1970-1980. A highly significant positive correlation (0.94) exists between these two parameters in the mesosphere. The correlation coefficient ( -0.28) in the stratosphere is insignificant. The calculated regression coefficients of -0.006 deg. C/unit flux and + 0.096 deg. C/unit flux for the stratosphere and mesosphere, respectively, point out clearly that the 10.7 cm solar radio flux influences strongly only in the mesosphere over the station studied, which supports the earlier findings by Ramakrishna and Seshamani ( 1973) based on one year data.