Seasonal effects in different components of secondary cosmic rays

Abstract

The Polar Geophysical Institute continuously monitors different components of secondary cosmic rays (soft gamma radiation in the range of 20–5000 keV, charged particles of 5–7 MeV, and the neutron component) at two stations: Apatity (Murmansk oblast) and Barentsburg (Spitsbergen Archipelago). The relation between annual variations in the registered secondary components of cosmic rays and seasonal meteorological cconditions, and the thickness of the ice cover in particular, is considered in this work. There is a clear correlation between the thickness of the ice cover and the soft gamma radiation flow received by the detector from the upper hemisphere. A mechanism that qualitatively explains these variations is proposed.