Home > WDC > Data > Geophysical > Help > SMA > Sources

Solar and Geomagnetic Activity Data Sources

Copyright WDC C1 for STP at RAL.


  1. For a description of the data on the ESA tape see K G Lenhart, 'Geomagnetic and Solar Data for Use with Digital Computers', Transactions, American Geophysical Union 49, 463-464 (1968). This gives sources as follows:

    'The IAGA Bulletins No 18 (for the years 1932-1961) {Bartels, 1962}, No 12q1 (for 1962) {Bartels et al, 1965}, No 12r1 (for 1963) {Bartels et al, 1966}, and the official publications prepared by the Institute for Geophysics of the University of Gottingen (for 1964 to the present) have been used for the Kp values and the derived indices.

    The sun spot numbers have been taken from the official publications of the Swiss Federal Observatory, Zurich (Waldmeier, 1961).

    The solar 10.7cm flux from Ottawa since 1947 has been punched from the publications of the Institute for Telecommunication Sciences and Aeronomy, Boulder, Colorado. As far as indicated, the flux adjusted to one astronomical unit has been used.'

    From January 1997 the Adolf-Schmidt-Observatory Niemegk of the GeoForschungsZentrum Potsdam took over the responsibility for the calculation and distribution of the Kp and derived activity indices. The complete Kp series is published in the IAGA Bulletins.

  2. As of 1981 January 1 the sunspot numbers Rz were no longer produced in Zurich and were replaced by sunspot numbers R1 generated by the 'Sunspot Index Data Centre' in Brussels. The values are still determined from the same network of observatories. See note in Solar-Geophysical Data No 438 (Supplement), February 1981, pg 9.

  3. Solar Flux values are adjusted to one astronomical unit from 1964 January 1. Note symbols S for raw flux measurement, SA for adjusted flux.