Neutron Monitor Cosmic Ray Data from King George Island

Neutron Monitor 6NM64 data from King George Island in Antarctica, covering the period from 1991 to 1998. The dataset was collected by a Chilean-Italian collaboration through the LARC project. It includes cosmic-ray counting rates recorded every 5 minutes alongside meteorological parameters.

Use Cases

• Analyze cosmic-ray flux variations over time using the 5-minute counting rates and universal time fields.
• Correlate neutron monitor data with solar activity cycles using the date and counting rate columns.
• Study the influence of local atmospheric conditions on detector readings using the atmospheric pressure, internal temperature, and humidity fields.
• Investigate Forbush decreases and other transient space weather events in the high-latitude southern hemisphere using the time-series of neutron counts.

Strengths

• Multi-year coverage from 1991 to 1998 provides a long-term baseline.
• Includes correlated meteorological parameters (atmospheric pressure, temperature, humidity) for environmental analysis.
• Data collected at a high-latitude southern site not covered by other global networks offers unique geographic scope.

Limitations

• Data is historical, with the latest known records from 1998, limiting contemporary analysis.
• Original data format (ASCII or BIN files on DOS-formatted disks) may present accessibility challenges.
• The description notes early data (1991) was on paper tapes, indicating potential gaps or format inconsistencies in the earliest records.

Provenance

Source

Laboratorio Antartico de Radiacion Cosmica (LARC) project, a collaboration between the University of Chile and the Italian IFSI/CNR.

Collection Method

Collected by a standard super neutron monitor (6-NM-64 type) with meteorological parameters supplied by a local center.

Time Range

1991 to 1998

Geography

King George Island (South Shetland Islands), Antarctica, specifically Ardley Cove.