Annales Geophysicae
Annales Geophysicae
ANGEO
Articles | Volume 39, issue 3
Articles | Volume 39, issue 3
https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-39-413-2021
© Author(s) 2021. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-39-413-2021
© Author(s) 2021. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Articles | Volume 39, issue 3
Regular paper
 | 
12 May 2021
Regular paper |  | 12 May 2021

On the semi-annual variation of relativistic electrons in the outer radiation belt

Christos Katsavrias, Constantinos Papadimitriou, Sigiava Aminalragia-Giamini, Ioannis A. Daglis, Ingmar Sandberg, and Piers Jiggens

Data sets

RBSP-ECT Science Data Products Radiation Belt Storm Probes ECT https://www.rbsp-ect.lanl.gov/science/DataDirectories.php

GOES/EPS National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) https://satdat.ngdc.noaa.gov/sem/goes/data/

Model code and software

Application of the cross wavelet transform and wavelet coherence to geophysical time series (https://noc.ac.uk/business/marine-data-products/cross-wavelet-wavelet-coherence-toolbox-matlab) A. Grinsted, J. C. Moore, and S. Jevrejeva https://doi.org/10.5194/npg-11-561-2004

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Short summary
The nature of the semi-annual variation in the relativistic electron fluxes in the Earth's outer radiation belt has been a debate for over 30 years. Our work shows that it is primarily driven by the Russell–McPherron effect, which indicates that reconnection is responsible not only for the short-scale but also the seasonal variability of the electron belt as well. Moreover, it is more pronounced during the descending phase of the solar cycles and coexists with periods of fast solar wind speed.
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