Specific features of radio emissions of coronal holes based on eclipse and noneclipse observations at a solar activity minimum

Solar coronal holes (CHs) at a minimum of the 23rd activity cycle were investigated using Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) data, ground-based observational data from the radio telescopes of the Kislovodsk Solar Station, Pulkovo Observatory (KSS PO), Russian Academy of Sciences, and radioheliograph data from the Nobeyama Observatory (Japan). The 2006–2008 period was characterized by a small number of active regions on the solar disk; nevertheless, this period is favorable for studying low-contrast objects in the radio band (CHs). We investigate the evolution of CH areas, the location of CHs on the solar disk, and the features of their radiation in the radio band. We present the results of observations of the total (March 29, 2006) and partial (August 1, 2008) solar eclipses by the RT-3 and RT-2 radio telescopes of the KSS PO. Based on the eclipse observation data, compact sources were identified on the solar disk and the contribution of CHs to the integral radio emission flux was estimated. A rare effect (increased radio emissions of high-latitude CHs at a wavelength of 4.9 cm) was revealed, which may be caused by X-ray bright points in CHs. Here, polar CHs are characterized by low levels of radio emission.     

Solar energetic events in the years 1996–2004. The analysis of their geoeffectiveness

Data concerning solar energetic events, published in 1996–2004 by the USAF/NOAA in the form of daily reports, have been collected. The analysis of the particular event types indicates that the degree of their geoeffectiveness depends on their size and on their solar disc location. The mere information that a solar X-flare (XRA) event or a Long Duration XRA Event (LDE) has occurred on the solar disc is insufficient to produce a relevant forecast of geomagnetic disturbances. The probability increases if the XRA is of class X which has occurred on the solar disk in central region (30 °E, 30 °W; 30 °S, 30 °N). XRAs associated with metric type II and IV radio bursts (RSP II and RSP IV), which occurred on the solar disc in this region will very probably cause a geomagnetic disturbance not only if X class are involved, but also M class and B–C class. The Disappearance of Solar Filament (DSF) data cannot be used in forecasting geomagnetic disturbances. The geoeffective and nongeoeffective DSFs are too disproportional. jboch@ig.cas.cz fridrich@geomag.sk     

Solar connections of geoeffective magnetic structures

Coronal mass ejections (CMEs) and high-speed solar wind streams (HSS) are two solar phenomena that produce large-scale structures in the interplanetary (IP) medium. CMEs evolve into interplanetary CMEs (ICMEs) and the HSS result in corotating interaction regions (CIRs) when they interact with preceding slow solar wind. This paper summarizes the properties of these structures and describes their geoeffectiveness. The primary focus is on the intense storms of solar cycle 23 because this is the first solar cycle during which simultaneous, extensive, and uniform data on solar, IP, and geospace phenomena exist. After presenting illustrative examples of coronal holes and CMEs, I discuss the internal structure of ICMEs, in particular the magnetic clouds (MCs). I then discuss how the magnetic field and speed correlate in the sheath and cloud portions of ICMEs. CME speed measured near the Sun also has significant correlations with the speed and magnetic field strengths measured at 1 AU. The dependence of storm intensity on MC, sheath, and CME properties is discussed pointing to the close connection between solar and IP phenomena. I compare the delay time between MC arrival at 1 AU and the peak time of storms for the cloud and sheath portions and show that the internal structure of MCs leads to the variations in the observed delay times. Finally, we examine the variation of solar-source latitudes of IP structures as a function of the solar cycle and find that they have to be very close to the disk center.     

Solar flare model: Comparison of the results of numerical simulations and observations

The electrodynamic flare model is based on numerical 3D simulations with the real magnetic field of an active region. An energy of ∼10³² erg necessary for a solar flare is shown to accumulate in the magnetic field of a coronal current sheet. The thermal X-ray source in the corona results from plasma heating in the current sheet upon reconnection. The hard X-ray sources are located on the solar surface at the loop foot-points. They are produced by the precipitation of electron beams accelerated in field-aligned currents. Solar cosmic rays appear upon acceleration in the electric field along a singular magnetic X-type line. The generation mechanism of the delayed cosmic-ray component is also discussed.     

MHD nature of the origination,dynamics, geoeffectiveness,and disappearance of the four-sector structure of the solar magnetic field during the cycle 23 decline phase

The MHD nature of the origination, dynamics, geoeffectiveness, and disappearance of the four-sector structure of the solar magnetic field during the cycle 23 decline phase has been established. A prolonged ordered MHD process including the chain of the interrelated phenomena (unknown before this study), which begin and end in one of the main zones of active longitudes and are responsible for the above nature of the four-sector structure, has been detected as a result of the simulation of the large-scale open solar magnetic field and an analysis of the dynamics of this field fluxes. These phenomena are as follows: the extreme concentration of the photospheric field sources of the same sign in the zone of active longitudes; blocking of regular differential rotation by these sources; origination of a nonstationary MHD disturbance in the form of a four-sector structure, traveling in the direction of solar rotation at a nearly Alfvén velocity; upset of blocking, displacement of blocking sources from the zone, and their shearing motion relative to a traveling MHD disturbance; deceleration and dissipation of a four-sector MHD disturbance; and reconstruction of a bisector structure. The interactions during this process, which lasted from May 2004 to December 2005, were accompanied by the generation of an ordered succession of heliospheric and solar-terrestrial disturbances including the series of nine extrastorms that were observed from July 2004 to September 2005 and were the last storms in the finished cycle 23 of solar activity.     

第23太阳活动周期太阳风参数及地磁指数的统计分析

日冕物质抛射(Coronal Mass Ejection,简称CME)和共转相互作用区(Corotating Interaction Region,简称CIR)是造成日地空间行星际扰动和地磁扰动的两个主要原因,提供了地球磁暴的主要驱动力,进而显著影响地球空间环境.为深入研究太阳风活动及受其主导影响的地磁活动的时间分布特征,本文对大量太阳风参数及地磁活动指数的数据进行了详细分析.首先,采用由NASA OMNIWeb提供的太阳风参数及地磁活动指数的公开数据,通过自主编写matlab程序对第23太阳活动周期(1996-01-01—2008-12-31)的数据包括行星际磁场Bz分量、太阳风速度、太阳风质子密度、太阳风动压等重要太阳风参数及Dst指数、AE指数、Kp指数等主要的地磁指数进行统计分析,建立了包括269个CME事件和456个CIR事件列表的数据库.采用事例分析法和时间序列叠加法分别对两类太阳活动的四个重要太阳风参数(IMF Bz、太阳风速度、太阳风质子密度、太阳风动压)和三个主要地磁指数(Dst、AE、Kp)进行统计分析,并研究了其统计特征.其次,根据Dst指数最小值确定了第23太阳活动周期内的355个孤立地磁暴事件,并以Dst指数最小值为标准将这些磁暴进一步分类为145个弱磁暴、123个中等磁暴、70个强磁暴、12个剧烈磁暴和5个巨大磁暴.最后,采用时间序列叠加法对不同强度磁暴的太阳风参数和地磁指数进行统计分析.统计分析表明,对于CME事件,Nsw/Pdyn(Nsw表示太阳风质子密度,Pdyn表示太阳风动压)线性拟合斜率一般为正;对于CIR事件,Nsw/Pdyn线性拟合斜率一般为负,这可作为辨别CME和CIR事件的一种有效方法.从平均意义上讲,相较于CIR事件,CME事件有更大的南向IMF Bz分量、太阳风动压Pdyn、AE指数、Kp指数以及更小的Dstmin.一般情况下,CME事件有更大的可能性驱动极强地磁暴.总体而言,对于不同强度的地磁暴,Dst指数的变化呈现出一定的相似性,但随着地磁暴强度的增强,Dst指数衰减的速度变快.CME和CIR事件以及其各自驱动的地磁暴事件有着很多不同,因此,需要将CME事件驱动的磁暴及CIR事件驱动的磁暴分开研究.建立CME、CIR事件及地磁暴的数据库以及获取的统计分析结果,将为深入研究地球磁层等离子体片、辐射带及环电流对太阳活动的响应特征提供有利的帮助.     

Vla and Spacecraft Observations of Solar Activity

We describe the world's largest synthesis radio telescope, the Very Large Array (VLA), and how it can be used to complement observations with the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) and the Yohkoh solar spacecraft. The VLA provides images with high spatial and temporal resolution, often across the visible solar disk. The VLA also detects nonthermal radiation that is not observed with SOHO and Yohkoh, and provides estimates for the coronal magnetic field strengths that are not directly measured by these spacecraft. The VLA data can be combined with SOHO CDS, SOHO EIT, or Yohkoh SXT observations to provide new insights to the compact, variable sources, called blinkers and bright points, in the solar transition region or low corona. A new 400 cm VLA system provides images of nonthermal burst activity associated with Coronal Mass Ejections (CMEs), and may detect thermal emission from CMEs, that can be compared with SOHO's LASCO and EIT instruments to obtain new information about the origin and evolution of CMEs.     

Spectral features of solar plasma flows

Research to the identification of plasma flows in the Solar wind by spectral characteristics of solar plasma flows in the range of magnetohydrodynamics is devoted. To do this, the wavelet skeleton pattern of Solar wind parameters recorded on Earth orbit by patrol spacecraft and then executed their neural network classification differentiated by bandwidths is carry out. This analysis of spectral features of Solar plasma flows in the form of magnetic clouds (MC), corotating interaction regions (CIR), shock waves (Shocks) and highspeed streams from coronal holes (HSS) was made. The proposed data processing and the original correlation-spectral method for processing information about the Solar wind flows for further classification as online monitoring of near space can be used. This approach will allow on early stages in the Solar wind flow detect geoeffective structure to predict global geomagnetic disturbances.     

Solar ultraviolet irradiance and its temporal variation

Solar radiation at wavelengths below 300 nm is almost completely absorbed by the Earth’s atmosphere, becoming the dominant direct energy source and playing a major role in the chemistry and dynamics. Even small changes in this incoming radiation field will have both direct and indirect influences on atmospheric processes, and perhaps will affect the Earth’s climate as well. Some of the very earliest space missions included devices to measure solar ultraviolet irradiance, but for the most part they lacked the necessary precision and accuracy to record true solar variability over long time periods. The technology has continued to improve, and today reliable measurements over time scales up to, and including, the 11-year solar cycle, are being obtained. This review provides a summary of measurements made during the most recent solar cycle (number 22 extending from 1986 1996), with emphasis on the spectral range 120-300 nm. Comparisons and validations of recent data sets are considered, together with an assessment of the present understanding of the solar variations. There is now general agreement that for solar cycle 22 the variation is as large as a factor of two at the shortest wavelengths, decreasing to roughly 10% near 200 nm. Proceeding to wavelengths above 200 nm the solar variability continues to decrease, and at about 300 nm it becomes smaller than the present measurement capability of about 1%.     

Solar Forcing of Climate

Solar activity is evident both in the equatorial activity centres and in the polar magnetic field variations. The total solar irradiance variation is due to the former component. During the extraordinarily long minimum of activity between sunspot cycles 23 and 24, the variations related to the equatorial field components reached their minimum values in the first half of 2008, while those related to the polar field variations had their extreme values rather at the end of 2009 and the first half of 2010. The explanation of this delay is another challenge for dynamo theories. The role of the open solar flux has so far been grossly underestimated in discussions of Sun-climate relations. The gradual increase in the average terrestrial ground temperature since 1610 is related both to the equatorial and polar field variations. The main component (0.077?K/century) is due to the variation of the total solar irradiance. The second component (0.040?K/century) waits for an explanation. The smoothed residual increase, presumably antropogenic, obtained after subtraction of the known components from the total increase was 0.31?K in 1999.     

Seasonal and year-to-year variability of the 557.7 nm atomic oxygen atmospheric emission

Seasonal and year-to-year variability in the intensity of the 557.7 nm line of atomic oxygen atmospheric emission and its dependence on solar activity in the 23rd solar cycle is considered. The experimental data of the 557.7 nm emission observations in Eastern Siberia obtained in 1997–2008 and the NRLMSIS-00 atmospheric model are used. For particular considered characteristics of the 557.7 nm emission, differences between the experimental data and model approximations for the 23rd solar cycle are noted. Possible causes of the discovered discrepancies are discussed.     

Latitude and Power Characteristics of Solar Activity at the End of the Maunder Minimum

Two important sources of information about sunspots in the Maunder minimum are the Spörer catalog (Spörer, 1889) and observations of the Paris observatory (Ribes and Nesme-Ribes, 1993), which cover in total the last quarter of the 17th and the first two decades of the 18th century. These data, in particular, contain information about sunspot latitudes. As we showed in (Ivanov et al., 2011; Ivanov and Miletsky, 2016), dispersions of sunspot latitude distributions are tightly related to sunspot indices, and we can estimate the level of solar activity in the past using a method which is not based on direct calculation of sunspots and weakly affected by loss of observational data. The latitude distributions of sunspots in the time of transition from the Maunder minimum to the regular regime of solar activity proved to be wide enough. It gives evidences in favor of, first, not very low cycle no.–3 (1712–1723) with the Wolf number in maximum W = 100 ± 50, and, second, nonzero activity in the maximum of cycle no.–4 (1700–1711) W = 60 ± 45. Therefore, the latitude distributions in the end of the Maunder minimum are in better agreement with the traditional Wolf numbers and new revisited indices of activity SN and GN (Clette et al., 2014; Svalgaard and Schatten, 2016) than with the GSN (Hoyt and Schatten, 1998); the latter provide much lower level of activity in this epoch.     

太阳高能粒子(SEP)传播数值模拟中的太阳风背景场研究

太阳高能粒子(SEP)事件是一类重要的空间天气灾害性事件,如能准确预报SEP事件,人们便可以采取必要的防护措施,保障卫星、星载设备以及航天员的安全,尽可能地降低经济损失.因此,其数值预报研究在空间天气预报研究中占有很重要的地位.SEP事件中的高能粒子在不同的时间尺度内被耀斑过程或者CME驱动的激波加速,并且在被扰动后的行星际太阳风中传输,这些过程都紧紧依赖于太阳风背景场.因此获取更加接近物理真实的太阳风背景场是模拟SEP事件的重要部分,也是提高SEP物理模式的关键因素之一.我们目前的工作基于张明等发展的SEP在行星际空间传播的模型,尝试将Parker太阳风速度解及WIND飞船观测的磁场实时数据融入模型中,研究不同的太阳风速度以及真实磁场分布对SEP在行星际空间中传播的影响.通过求解聚焦传输方程,我们的模拟结果表明:(1)快太阳风条件下,绝热冷却效应项发挥了更大的作用,使粒子能量衰减的更快,而慢太阳风对粒子的通量变化没有显著影响;(2)加入观测的磁场数据时,粒子的全向通量剖面发生了比较明显的变化,具体表现在:通量峰值推迟到达、出现多峰结构、各向异性也发生一些改变.分析表明真实磁场的极性对粒子在行星际空间中传播有着重要的影响.     

Solar magnetic cycle: Peculiarities of the photospheric field distribution

Synoptic maps for 1976–2003 obtained at the Kitt Peak National Solar Observatory are used to analyze the longitudinal distribution of the solar photospheric magnetic field. The superposition of synoptic maps gives different pictures for the rise-maximum phase and the decline-minimum phase. Two characteristic periods correspond to different situations in the 22-year solar magnetic cycle in the course of which both the global magnetic field and the magnetic field of the leading sunspot in a group change their sign.     

Solar activity and geomagnetic disturbances

An analysis of IZNIRAN magnetic observatory data indicated that geomagnetic storms with sudden and gradual commencements form two independent populations with respect to the disturbance occurrence time and character because the solar sources of these disturbances are different. Storms with sudden and gradual commencements are caused by coronal mass ejections and high-speed solar wind streams from coronal holes, respectively.     

Atmospheric Electrification in the Solar System

Atmospheric electrification is not a purely terrestrial phenomenon: all Solar System planetary atmospheres become slightly electrified by cosmic ray ionisation. There is evidence for lightning on Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune, and it is possible on Mars, Venus and Titan. Controversy surrounds the role of atmospheric electricity in physical climate processes on Earth; here, a comparative approach is employed to review the role of electrification in the atmospheres of other planets and their moons. This paper reviews the theory, and, where available, measurements, of planetary atmospheric electricity which is taken to include ion production and ion–aerosol interactions. The conditions necessary for a planetary atmospheric electric circuit similar to Earth’s, and the likelihood of meeting these conditions in other planetary atmospheres, are briefly discussed. Atmospheric electrification could be important throughout the solar system, particularly at the outer planets which receive little solar radiation, increasing the relative significance of electrical forces. Nucleation onto atmospheric ions has been predicted to affect the evolution and lifetime of haze layers on Titan, Neptune and Triton. Atmospheric electrical processes on Titan, before the arrival of the Huygens probe, are summarised. For planets closer to Earth, heating from solar radiation dominates atmospheric circulations. However, Mars may have a global circuit analogous to the terrestrial model, but based on electrical discharges from dust storms. There is an increasing need for direct measurements of planetary atmospheric electrification, in particular on Mars, to assess the risk for future unmanned and manned missions. Theoretical understanding could be increased by cross-disciplinary work to modify and update models and parameterisations initially developed for a specific atmosphere, to make them more broadly applicable to other planetary atmospheres.     

Changes in the chemical composition of the atmosphere in the polar regions of the Earth after solar proton flares (3d modeling)

The paper presents the results of numerical photochemical simulations of the impact of the most powerful solar proton flares during the 23rd solar cycle on the ozonosphere in the polar regions of the Earth. A global 3D photochemical model, CHARM, developed at Central Aerological Observatory (CAO) was used in the simulations. The model introduces an additional source of nitrogen atoms and OH radicals. These components are formed due to the ionization effect of solar protons in the Earth’s atmosphere. The ionization rate was determined from data on proton fluxes measured by GOES satellites. The production rate of additional NO _x and HО _x molecules per ion pair was based on published theoretical studies. It is shown that the most intense flares in the 23rd solar cycle (2000, 2001, and 2003) destroyed ozone in the mesosphere to a great extent (sometimes completely, for example, during the July 14, 2000, event). It is found that the response of ozone to solar proton events follows a seasonal pattern. For the first time, the long-term effect of solar proton events is identified; it is approximately one year.     

SOLAR-TERRESTRIAL AND CLIMATIC PHENOMENA IN RELATION TO SOLAR INERTIAL MOTION

The time series of solar and volcanic activities have been processed to show, mostly by means of statistical characteristics, the exceptional and recurring pattern of these phenomena in the intervals of the exceptional and recurring pattern of solar motion, i.e. in the intervals of the Sun's motion along the trefoils which reoccur in steps of 178.7 years. Nearly the same sets of five sunspot cycles have been found in the latest trefoil intervals (1730–1780 and 1910–1960), their length being constant and equal to 10 years (cycles No. 15–19). The steadily attenuated volcanic activity have been pointed out in the three latest trefoil intervals. The long-term maxima of surface air temperature occured in the central decades of the trefoil intervals. The results indicate a primary role of solar motion in a causal chain of ST-relations and a need of taking the Solar System as a whole into account to explain climatic changes. The solar motion can be computed in advance. Predictive assesments, so far in form of analogies, have been made: Because the solar motion in the next decades will be chaotic, lower and longer solar cycles (with irregular length), ocurrence of huge volcanic events and a decrease of global surface air temperature can be expected.     

Solar particle events seen by the MOPITT instrument

This paper reports on Device Single Events (DSEs) occurring in the Measurements Of Pollution In The Troposphere (MOPITT) space instrument piezoelectric accelerometers. It is found that DSEs correlate with the radiation environment, solar activity and high intensity Solar Proton Events.     

Possible traces of solar activity effect on the surface air temperature of Turkey

In this study we investigate the effects of solar activity on the surface air temperature of Turkey. This enables us to understand existence of solar activity effects on the temperature. We used surface air temperature, pressure and tropospheric absorbing aerosol data as climate parameters and solar flare index data as solar activity indicator. We considered the parameters temperature and flare index data for the period data ranging from the beginning of January 1976 to the end of December 2006, which cover almost three solar cycles, 21st, 22nd and 23rd. However, only the period interval starting from January 1980 up to December 2005 includes the tropospheric absorbing aerosol data. We found a significant correlation between solar activity and surface air temperature for only cycle 23. We applied multitaper method to obtain the cyclic behavior of surface air temperature data sets. The most pronounced power peaks were found by this transform to be present at 1.2 and 2.5 years, which were reported earlier for some solar activity indicators. We concluded that solar activity effect exists on surface air temperature of Turkey; besides changes of greenhouse gases and tropospheric absorbing aerosols concentration have also a dominant effect on the surface air temperature of Turkey.