Muon flux variations detected by the URAGAN muon hodoscope during thunderstorms

Abstract

Cosmic ray muons are formed in the upper layers of the atmosphere under the effect of primary cosmic radiation, and their flux is sensitive to variation in atmospheric parameters. Thunderstorms are a pronounced manifestation of nonstationary processes in the atmosphere, and they are good material for developing and testing the main approaches to investigating such processes according to muon flux variations detected on the Earth’s surface. In this work, spatial and angular parameters of the muon flux detected by the URAGAN muon hodoscope during thunderstorms in the Moscow area in 2014 and 2015 are presented along with the results from analysis. Thunderstorms are identified and their development is followed using information obtained by the DMRL-C Doppler weather radar (Russian Federal Service for Hydrometeorology and Environmental Monitoring).