Variations of the lunar geomagnetic tide in the Indian region

The seasonal variations of the lunar geomagnetic tide are analysed at a group of stations around the longitude of India. The position of the focus of the lunar ionospheric current system is found to move with season and to disappear in northern winter. A year-to-year variability of the phases is also demonstrated. The phase relationships indicate the presence of antisymmetric atmospheric tidal modes of various strengths in different seasons. The different lunar Hough mode amplitudes, derived earlier, may also explain the observed September maximum in the lunar horizontal magnetic component at the equator.