Abstract :
Balloonborne measurements of polar conductivity made from a low latitude station, Hyderabad (17.3°N, 78.5°E, Geomag. lat. 8°N), India are presented here. The balloon flights were conducted during 1984–1994 covering a period of one solar cycle. The measurements were conducted in the altitude region of 20–35 km. It is known that the production of ionisation in stratosphere is due to cosmic rays. Cosmic ray intensity varies inversely with solar activity. But our measurements show that conductivity is higher during high solar activity period compared to low solar activity period in stratosphere over Hyderabad. We suggest that this is due to breaking up of cluster ions to form lighter ions during the high solar activity periods.
