Similar periodicities in the range 12 to 150 days in solar, ionospheric and atmospheric time series

Abstract

Data series for the same time interval of characteristic solar parameters (sunspot number R; flux at 2.8 GHz), ionospheric parameters (critical frequency of the E-region) and atmospheric parameters (stratospheric and tropospheric temperatures T) have been analysed by the maximum-entropy method, in order to study the occurrence of periodicities in those parameters in the range from 12 to 150 days. Digital filtering of the most pronounced of the detected periods (mainly in the range between 19 to 33 days) shows a similar but not identical feature in the time interval 1974–1978. It is demonstrated that sunspot number and solar radio flux at 2.8 GHz behave in a similar way on the average, and at periods greater than 20 days. Although a number of similar periods occurred in solar, ionospheric and atmospheric parameters, cross-correlation estimations only show a relationship between periods in solar and ionospheric data, but none between solar data and stratospheric and tropospheric temperatures; exception: T (35 km) correlates with R at 12.3 days. The most obvious correlation was found between the critical frequency of the E layer and the solar flux at 2.8 GHz at a frequency of approximately 1/23 days⁻¹.