Be-7 cosmogenic radionuclide concentrations as a tracer of dynamic processes in upper atmosphere

Stronger solar activity can modulate galactic cosmic rays reaching the Earth, affecting the production of Be-7 in the stratosphere and its subsequent downward transport. Corotating Interaction Regions (CIRs) and High-Speed Solar Wind Streams (HSSWS) significantly perturb the ionosphere, altering electric fields and plasma dynamics in the ionosphere, influencing Es layer formation and behavior. Often causing Es layer formation (higher electron density, stronger critical frequency) during geomagnetic disturbances.

We use radionuclide data (Be-7 in aerosols evaluated by the corresponding activity in aerosols on a weekly basis at the National Radiation Protection Institute Monitoring Section in Prague, Czechia) alongside ionospheric data (Es layers) to understand these interconnected space weather effects and atmospheric dynamics. Es layers, formed by dynamic processes, can influence atmospheric waves and vertical transport, potentially connecting upper atmosphere phenomena with atmospheric radionuclide levels in middle latitudes. The Be-7 concentrations are therefore a very promising indicator of the behavior of all atmospheric layers, including the mesospheric heights where the Es layer is located.