Global circuit response to the 11-year solar cycle: Changes in source or in medium?

Abstract

© International Conference on Atmospheric Electricity, ICAE 2014 Modifications to both the DC and AC global circuits are considered on both short time scales and on the 11-year solar cycle time scale. New long-term records of Schumann resonances are considered as documentation of the AC global circuit. In most cases, changes in the medium of the global circuit provide a better qualitative explanation than intrinsic source changes (i.e., lightning and electrified clouds) for the variations in the global circuit. Further work is needed with the quantitative details