Abstract

The geomagnetic field is a magnetic field that extends into space, interacting with the solar wind, a stream of charged particles emanating from the sun. The geomagnetic (H) component data used for this project were obtained from Magnetic Data Acquisition System (MAGDAS) magnetometer at five different stations in Africa covering magnetic latitudes (MLAT) from 21.13⁰ in the northern hemisphere to -39.21⁰ in the southern hemisphere and magnetic longitude (MLON) between 69° to 120° The stations are Fayum, Egypt (21.13° MLAT, 102.38° MLON), Ilorin, Nigeria (-1.82° MLAT, 76.80° MLON), Hermanus, South Africa (-42.29° MLAT, 82.20° MLON), Dal Es Salaam, Tanzania (-16.26° MLAT, 110.59° MLON), Abidjan, Ivory Coast (6.32° MLAT, 69.23° MLON). The daily variation of the geomagnetic H component (∆H) is calculated by subtracting the baseline values. The baseline value is the average value of the nighttime flanking hours. The study examines the effect of solar wind pressure on geomagnetic fields across different hemispheres at different seasons. The outcomes of this study demonstrate geomagnetic disturbances of hemispheric asymmetry which varies with seasons for some selected African stations. After a close study of low-latitude geomagnetic disturbances caused by solar wind pressure enhancements, it is found that there is a significant hemispheric asymmetry of the geomagnetic disturbances and that this hemispheric asymmetry depends on the season and interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) orientation.