Observation of muon intensity variations by season with the MINOS near detector

A sample of $1.53\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{10}^{9}$ cosmic-ray-induced single muon events has been recorded at 225 m water equivalent using the MINOS near detector. The underground muon rate is observed to be highly correlated with the effective atmospheric temperature. The coefficient ${\ensuremath{\alpha}}_{T}$, relating the change in the muon rate to the change in the vertical effective temperature, is determined to be $0.428\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.003(\text{stat}.)\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.059(\text{syst}.)$. An alternative description is provided by the weighted effective temperature, introduced to account for the differences in the temperature profile and muon flux as a function of zenith angle. Using the latter estimation of temperature, the coefficient is determined to be $0.352\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.003(\text{stat}.)\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.046(\text{syst}.)$.