Interannual Changeability in the Variations of the Vertical Component of the Electric Field in Lake Baikal

The long-term deep-water measurements of the vertical component of the electric field on a surface-lakebed base revealed unexpectedly high interannual changeability in the amplitudes of its variations in periods ranging from a few hours to several months. This changeability almost equally affects the field components caused by the induction in the water flows and, supposedly, by the closing current of the global electric circuit above the rift fault. We present the evidence for the correlation of this effect with the interannual variability in meteorological activity. However, the physical background of this correlation is trivial only for the electric component associated with the induction and still remains unclear for the field component caused by the closing current, which has much higher amplitude.