Cosmic Rays and Cloud Formation: Does Cloud Ammount Decrease during Forbush Decreases?

Abstract

Possible influences of cosmic rays on terrestrial climate have been studied by many researchers since a good correlation between neutron monitor counts and global cloud amount was reported by Svensmark and Friis-Christensen in 1997. The cosmic ray-cloud relationship may be best tested during Forbush decrease events, in which cosmic rays largely decrease for several days associated with coronal mass ejections. Some cloud parameters are likely to respond to the transient decrease of cosmic rays with a typical time delay of several days, although we do not know the physics behind the cosmic-ray cloud relationship.