Manifestation of Variations of Solar X-Ray Radiation in the Vertical Component of the Electric Field in Lake Baikal

Data from a long-term experiment with monitoring of the vertical component of the electric field at the base from the surface to the bottom showed oscillations with quasi-periods of tens to hundreds of days in Lake Baikal. They are not caused by any internal sources, but they show a close relationship with intermittent oscillations of the solar X-ray radiation flux. This relationship is characterized by a high (up to 0.9) correlation with a large (multiday) delay. Variations in the electric field are naturally interpreted as a manifestation of the variability of the current in the hydrospheric segment of the global electric circuit over the Baikal Rift. The large delay can be explained by the indirect mechanism of influence in the fluxes of X-ray radiation from the Sun on the convection component of the current in the atmosphere through its complex effect on meteorological processes. In this case, the degree of correlation of X-ray radiation with the electric field is always very high, while the delay in different years can vary by an order of magnitude.