High-latitude magnetic fields and their time derivatives: interhemispheric similarities

Abstract

There are two simple and objective measures of geomagnetic activity: the daily range of field components, and the daily maximum of the time derivative of the field. We study these using data from the geomagnetic latitude range of 50–85 deg, covering both the northern and southern hemispheres in 2003–2005. These activity indicators reach their maximum around the magnetic latitude of 70 deg. When comparing northern and southern sites of approximately equal geomagnetic latitudes, there are, in general, no striking interhemispheric differences.