Sector structure of the interplanetary magnetic field in the second half of the 19th century inferred from ground-based magnetometers

Interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) polarities can be inferred in the pre-satellite era using Svalgaard-Mansurov effect, according to which different IMF directions lead to different geomagnetic variations at polar stations. Basing on this effect we propose a method to derive a sector structure of the IMF when only ground based data are available. Details of the method and results have been presented in our recent paper: Vokhmyanin, M. V., and D. I. Ponyavin (2012), Inferring interplanetary magnetic field polarities from geomagnetic variations, J. Geophys. Res., 117, A06102, doi:10.1029/2011JA017060. Using data from eight stations: Sitka, Sodankyla, Godhavn, Lerwick, Thule, Baker Lake, Vostok and Mirny, we reconstructed sector structure back to 1905. The quality of inferring from 1965 to 2005 ranges between 78% and 90% depending on the used set of stations. Our results show both high success rate and good agreement with the well-known Russell-McPherron and Rosenberg-Coleman effects. In the current study we applied the technique to historical data of Helsinki observatory where digital versions of hourly geomagnetic components are available from 1844 to 1897. Helsinki station stopped operates at the beginning of 20th century. Thus, to create a model describing the local Svalgaard-Mansurov effect we analyzed data from Nurmijarvi station located near the same region. The success rate of reconstruction from 1965 to 2005 is around 82%. So we assume that the IMF polarities obtained for the period 1869-1889 have sufficient quality. Inferred sector structure at this time consists of two sectors typically for all declining phases of solar activity cycle. Catalogue of IMF proxies seem to be important in analyzing structure and dynamics of solar magnetic fields in the past.; Left: Bartels diagram of IMF sector structure inferred from Helsinki data. Right: sunspot number indicating solar cycles.