A pictorial comparison of interplanetary magnetic field polarity,solar wind speed,and geomagnetic disturbance index during the sunspot cycle

Observations of interplanetary magnetic field polarity, solar wind speed, and geomagnetic disturbance index (C9) during the years 1962–1975 are compared in a 27-day pictorial format that emphasizes their associated variations during the sunspot cycle. This display accentuates graphically several recently reported features of solar wind streams including the fact that the streams were faster, wider, and longer-lived during 1962–1964 and 1973–1975 in the declining phase of the sunspot cycle than during intervening years (Bame et al., 1976; Gosling et al., 1976). The display reveals strikingly that these high-speed streams were associated with the major, recurrent patterns of geomagnetic activity that are characteristic of the declining phase of the sunspot cycle. Finally, the display shows that during 1962–1975 the association between long-lived solar wind streams and recurrent geomagnetic disturbances was modulated by the annual variation (Burch, 1973) of the response of the geomagnetic field to solar wind conditions. The phase of this annual variation depends on the polarity of the interplanetary magnetic field in the sense that negative sectors of the interplanetary field have their greatest geomagnetic effect in northern hemisphere spring, and positive sectors have their greatest effect in the fall. During 1965–1972 when the solar wind streams were relatively slow (500 km s^-1), the annual variation strongly influenced the visibility of the corresponding geomagnetic disturbance patterns.Visiting Scientist, Kitt Peak National Observatory, Tucson, Arizona.Operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc., under contract with the National Science Foundation.     

Solar energy cycle and its relation to geomagnetic activity

It is suggested that recurrent and nonrecurrent geomagnetic disturbances which are related to the release of solar magnetic energy in the form of unipolar and bipolar magnetic regions respectively, are connected with the variations in the solar energy source. The true beginning of the solar cycle takes place when unipolar magnetic regions start to develop, i.e, when nuclear energy generation becomes dominant over the neutrino energy loss according to the photon-neutrino coupling theory.     

Remote sensing of the heliospheric solar wind using radio astronomy methods and numerical simulations

The ground-based radio astronomy method of interplanetary scintillations (IPS) and spacecraft observations have shown, in the past 25 years, that while coronal holes give rise to stable, reclining high speed solar wind streams during the minimum of the solar activity cycle, the slow speed wind seen more during the solar maximum activity is better associated with the closed field regions, which also give rise to solar flares and coronal mass ejections (CME’s). The latter events increase significantly, as the cycle maximum takes place. We have recently shown that in the case of energetic flares one may be able to track the associated disturbances almost on a one to one basis from a distance of 0.2 to 1 AU using IPS methods. Time dependent 3D MHD models which are constrained by IPS observations are being developed. These models are able to simulate general features of the solar-generated disturbances. Advances in this direction may lead to prediction of heliospheric propagation of these disturbances throughout the solar system.     

Some Polarity Conditions in Corpuscular Events

We present some refinements of the previously reported magnetic polarity conditions in solar-terrestrial relations. Appropriately selected subsets were used from the longest available data sets, the geomagnetic aa-index and the surface air temperature. The solar corpuscular impacts have conspicuous effects in the tropospheric behaviour. We reported previously a new kind of semi-annual fluctuation and opposite tropospheric responses to the effects coming from different regions of the Sun as well as their dependence on the orientation of the solar main magnetic dipole. It is shown in the present paper that the semi-annual fluctuation governed by shock and fluctuating disturbances (which originate from the lower-latitude solar regions) exhibits sign reversals in consecutive cycles. The effect can be detected only in the absence of recurrent disturbances (coming mainly from the polar regions). This complex phenomenon implies that the corpuscular events may preserve some of their polarity conditions of their specific solar origin even at the Earth's distance, and on the other hand the small-scale structure of the IMF plays an important role in the link between the solar particles and the tropospheric response.     

Coronal holes,solar wind streams,and geomagnetic disturbances during 1978 and 1979

We have extended our long-term study of coronal holes, solar wind streams, and geomagnetic disturbances through the rising phase of sunspot cycle 21 into the era of sunspot maximum. During 1978 and 1979, coronal holes reflected the influence of differential rotation, and existed within a slowly-evolving large-scale pattern despite the relatively high level of sunspot activity. The long-lived 28.5-day pattern is not produced by a rigidly-rotating quasi-stationary structure on the Sun, but seems to be produced by a non-stationary migratory process associated with solar differential rotation. The association between coronal holes and solar wind speed enhancements at Earth continues to depend on the latitude of the holes (relative to the heliographic latitude of Earth), but even the best associations since 1976 have speeds of only 500–600 km s^-1 rather than the values of 600–700 km s^-1 that usually occurred during the declining phase of sunspot cycle 20.Operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc., under contract with the National Science Foundation.     

Structure of the maximum phase of solar cycles 21 and 22

A distinctive peak and gap structure in a number of solar indices was observed in the maximum phase of solar cycles 21 and 22. The effect became even more prominent after separating the northern and southern solar hemispheres. In cycle 21 the multi-peaked structures observed in the two solar hemispheres were not synchronous and their sum resulted in the rather shallow two-peaked solar maximum for the parameters taken over the whole solar disk. In cycle 22 there were only double peaks in each hemisphere which were rather synchronous. Examination of solar activity in the northern and southern hemispheres has shown that the structured maximum appears to be due to the superposition of two quasi-oscillating processes with characteristic time-scales of 11 years and of 1–3 years (quasi-biennial oscillations). The absolute amplitude of the quasi-biennial oscillations depends on the 11-year cycle phase and reaches its maximum at the maximum of the 11-year cycle. This explains the occurrence of a double- or triple-peak structure in the solar maximum phase.     

The 10-year time delay of the solar cycle luminosity modulation of the Sun behind the solar cycle magnetic oscillation

We found an evidence that the solar cycle luminosity modulation of the Sun deduced from the total irradiance modulation which was measured by the Earth Radiation Budget (ERB) experiment on board of Nimbus 7 from November 16, 1978 to December 13, 1993 was not in phase with the solar cycle magnetic oscillation when we used the sunspot relative number as its index. The modulation was delayed in time behind the solar cycle magnetic oscillation by an amount of about 10.3 years on the order of length of one solar cycle. In order to quantitatively evaluate the correlation between the two quantities, we devised a method to extract characteristics which were proper to a particular solar cycle by defining a new index of the correlation called multiplied correlation index (MCI). We found that the characteristics of the ERB data time profile between solar cycles 21 and 22 were more similar to those of the solar cycle magnetic oscillation between solar cycles 20 and 21 than those between solar cycles 21 and 22 and thus the time profile of the luminosity modulation from the maximum phase of solar cycle 21 to the declining phase of the solar cycle 22 corresponded to the solar cycle magnetic oscillation from the maximum phase of solar cycle 20 to the declining phase of solar cycle 21. We interpret this phenomenon as an evidence that main features of the modulation is not caused by dark sunspots and bright faculae and plages on the surface of the Sun that should instantaneously affect the luminosity modulation but is caused by time-delayed modulation of global convection by the Lorentz force of the magnetic field of the solar cycle. The delay time of about 10.3 years is the time needed for the force to modify the flows of the convection and to modulate heat flow. Thus the delay time is a function of the strength of the magnetic field oscillation of the solar cycle which is represented by amplitude of the solar cycle. Accordingly, the delay time for other time intervals of the solar cycle magnetic oscillation with different amplitudes can be different from 10.3 years for the interval of the present analysis.     

North-south distribution of solar flares during cycle 23

In this paper, we investigate the spatial distribution of solar flares in the northern and southern hemispheres of the Sun that occurred during the period 1996 to 2003. This period of investigation includes the ascending phase, the maximum and part of the descending phase of solar cycle 23. It is revealed that the flare activity during this cycle is low compared to the previous solar cycle, indicating the violation of Gnevyshev-Ohl rule. The distribution of flares with respect to heliographic latitudes shows a significant asymmetry between northern and southern hemisphere which is maximum during the minimum phase of the solar cycle. The present study indicates that the activity dominates the northern hemisphere in general during the rising phase of the cycle (1997–2000). The dominance of northern hemisphere shifted towards the southern hemisphere after the solar maximum in 2000 and remained there in the successive years. Although the annual variations in the asymmetry time series during cycle 23 are quite different from cycle 22, they are comparable to cycle 21.     

Phase Relation Between Activities of Solar Active Prominences Separately at low and High Latitudes

In the present work, the phase relation between activities of solar active prominences respectively at low and high latitudes in the period 1957–1998 has been studied. We found that from the solar equator to the solar poles, the activity of the solar active prominences occurs earlier at higher latitudes, and that the cycle of the solar active prominences at high latitudes (larger than 50°) leads by 4 years both the sunspot cycle and the corresponding cycle of the solar active prominences at low latitudes (less than 40°).     

Magnetic storms on Mars

Based on data from the Mars Global Surveyor magnetometer we examine periods of significantly enhanced magnetic disturbances in the martian space environment. Using almost seven years of observations during the maximum and early declining phase of the previous solar cycle the occurrence pattern and typical time profile of such periods is investigated and compared to solar wind measurements at Earth. Typical durations of the events are 20-40 h, and there is a tendency for large events to last longer, but a large spread in duration and intensity are found. The large and medium intensity events at Mars are found to occur predominantly in association with interplanetary sector boundaries, with solar wind dynamic pressure enhancements being the most likely interplanetary driver. In addition it is found that, on time scales of months to several years, the dominant cause of global variability of the magnetic field disturbance at Mars is solar wind dynamic pressure variations associated with the eccentricity of the martian orbit around the Sun.     

Short-term variations of the galactic cosmic ray intensity: 1964–1967

Variations of the ground-level nucleonic intensity and of indices of solar photospheric, chromospheric, and coronal activity at time scales of less than forty days show strong 27-day recurrent structure. Correlation functions for these time series suggest an origin for short-term modulation in impulsive solar activity. Flare-associated shocks originating in long-lived active zones fixed in solar longitude produce recurrent cosmic ray variations during 1964–1967, and corotating solar wind disturbances are of secondary importance to short-term modulation.     

Solar differential rotation derived from sunspot observations

Sunspot drawings obtained at National Astronomical Observatory of Japan during the years 1954–1986 were used to determine the differential rotation of the Sun. From the limited data set of three solar cycles it was found that three factors (the level of cycle activity, the cycle phase, and sunspot type) affect the solar rotation rate. The differential rotation varies from cycle to cycle in such a way that the rotation velocity in the low activity cycle (cycle 20) is higher than in the high-activity cycle (cycle 19). The equatorial rotation rate shows a systematic variation within each cycle. The rate is higher at the beginning of the cycle and decreases subsequently. Although quite small, the variation of solar differential rotation with respect to Zürich sunspot type was found. The H and J types show the slowest rotation among all the sunspot types.     

Cosmic-Ray Decreases and Interplanetary Disturbances During the Solar Magnetic Polarity Reversal in Solar Cycle 20

Using the cosmic-ray intensity data recorded with ground-based monitors at Mt. Washington and Deep River, and with cosmic-ray telescopes on Pioneer 8 and 9 spacecraft as well as the 2-hour averages of the IMF (magnitude and direction) and the solar wind bulk speed and density at 1 AU, the cosmic-ray decreases and interplanetary disturbances, that occurred during the period of solar magnetic polarity reversal in solar cycle 20, were investigated.We observed a two-step Forbush decrease on 22–23 November 1969, and a Forbush decrease on 26 November 1969, which are respectively consistent with the model of Barnden (1973), and of Parker (1963) and Barnden (1973). Only one Forbush decrease event was observed in December 1969, a period during which there was a solar magnetic polarity reversal; the Forbush decrease was attributed to a long-lived corotating high-speed solar wind stream. This is indicative that at heliolongitudes from 43° E to 70° W of S–E radial, covered by the observations, the solar magnetic polarity reversal in solar cycle 20 was not carried by, nor related to, individual transient structures, and that the reversal most probably evolved gradually.     

High-Speed Solar Wind Streams and Geomagnetic Storms During Solar Cycle 24

An updated catalog is created of 303 well-defined high-speed solar wind streams that occurred in the time period 2009?–?2016. These streams are identified from solar and interplanetary measurements obtained from the OMNIWeb database as well as from the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) database. This time interval covers the deep minimum observed between the last two Solar Cycles 23 and 24, as well as the ascending, the maximum, and part of the descending phases of the current Solar Cycle 24. The main properties of solar-wind high-speed streams, such as their maximum velocity, their duration, and their possible sources are analyzed in detail. We discuss the relative importance of all those parameters of high-speed solar wind streams and especially of their sources in terms of the different phases of the current cycle. We carry out a comparison between the characteristic parameters of high-speed solar wind streams in the present solar cycle with those of previous solar cycles to understand the dependence of their long-term variation on the cycle phase. Moreover, the present study investigates the varied phenomenology related to the magnetic interactions between these streams and the Earth’s magnetosphere. These interactions can initiate geomagnetic disturbances resulting in geomagnetic storms at Earth that may have impact on technology and endanger human activity and health.     

Effects of the Weak Polar Fields of Solar Cycle 23: Investigation Using OMNI for the STEREO Mission Period

The current solar cycle minimum seems to have unusual properties that appear to be related to weak solar polar magnetic fields. We investigate signatures of this unusual polar field in the ecliptic near-Earth interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) for the STEREO period of observations. Using 1 AU OMNI data, we find that for the current solar cycle declining phase to minimum period the peak of the distribution for the values of the ecliptic IMF magnitude is lower compared to a similar phase of the previous solar cycle. We investigate the sources of these weak fields. Our results suggest that they are related to the solar wind stream structure, which is enhanced by the weak polar fields. The direct role of the solar field is therefore complicated by this effect, which redistributes the solar magnetic flux at 1 AU nonuniformly at low to mid heliolatitudes.     

SOLAR CONSTANT TEMPORAL AND FREQUENCY CHARACTERISTICS

The Sun's total irradiance at the mean Sun-Earth distance decreased from mid-1979 to mid-1987 during the descending part of solar cycle 21. After the minimum had been reached it increased with the onset of cycle 22 and came to a maximum at mid-1991 during the highest solar activity of cycle 22. From the modelized shape of the time signal of the solar constant based on the Space Absolute Radiometric Reference (SARR), temporal, amplitude and behaviour characteristics are derived. It is suggested that the variation observed over a period of more than 14 years is the response of the outer solar layers, the photosphere in particular, to some excitation originating somewhere near the bottom of the solar convection zone also responsible for the solar spots and the correlated photospheric features. Wavelet analysis and periodiograms are shown for the solar constant and the sunspot index. Their non-stationarity is well illustrated as well as strong recurrent periods.     

A Complete Catalogue of High-Speed Solar Wind Streams during Solar Cycle 23

High-speed solar wind streams (HSSWSs) are ejected from the Sun and travel into the interplanetary space. Because of their high speed, they carry out energetic particles such as protons and heavy ions, which leads to an increase in the mean interplanetary magnetic field (IMF). Since the Earth is in the path of those streams, Earth’s magnetosphere interacts with the disturbed magnetic field, leading to a significant radiation-induced degradation of technological systems. These interactions provide an enhanced energy transfer from the solar wind/IMF system into the Earth’s magnetosphere and initiate geomagnetic disturbances that may have a possible impact on human health. Solar cycle 23 was a particularly unusual cycle with many energetic phenomena during its descending phase and also had an extended minimum. We have identified and catalogued the HSSWSs of this cycle and determined their characteristics, such as their maximum velocity, beginning and ending time, duration, and possible sources. We identified 710 HSSWSs and compared them with the corresponding characteristics of the streams of previous solar cycles. For first time, we used the CME data to study the stream sources, which led to useful results for the monitoring and forecasting of space weather effects.     

Major flare effects on the intensity of the green corona and geomagnetic activity

The effects of the solar major flares indicated by the intensive radio bursts, high velocity streams or shock waves, coronal and ionospheric disturbances on the geomagnetic and coronal activities are investigated during the near the maximum phase of 21st solar cycle, in detail. The significant and the weak increases in the level of the geomagnetic and coronal activities indices were observed, respectively, after the occurrence of these events.     

Prominences and the Green Corona Over the Solar Activity Cycle

Prominences, in contrast to other solar activity features, may appear at all heliographic latitudes. The position of zones where prominences are mainly concentrated depends on the cycle phase of solar activity. It is shown, for prominence observations made at Lomnický tít over the period 1967–1996, how the position of prominence zones changes over a solar cycle, and how these zones could be connected with other solar activity features. Our results obtained could be an additional source to do a better prediction of solar activity. Time-latitudinal distribution is also shown for the green corona (Fexiv, 530.3 nm). Distribution of the green coronal maxima shows that there are equator-migrating zones in the solar corona that migrate from latitudes of 45° (starting approximately 2–3 years after the cycle start) to higher latitudes 70°, and then turn (around the cycle maximum) towards the equator, reaching the equator in the next minimum (this duration lasts 18–19 years). Polar branches separate from these zones at the cycle minimum (2–3 years before above-mentioned zones) at latitudes of 50°, reaching the poles at the maximum of the present cycle. The picture becomes dim when more polar prominence zones are observed. Prominences show both the poleward and equatorward migration. Comparison between both solar activity features is also discussed.     

The phase variations of the solar cycle

It has previously been shown that the statistics of the phase fluctuation of the sunspot cycle are compatible with the assumption that the solar magnetic field is generated deep in the Sun by a frequency stable oscillator and that the observed substantial phase fluctuation in the sunspot cycle is due to variation in the time required for the magnetic field to move to the solar surface (Dicke, 1978, 1979). It was shown that the observed phase shifts are strongly correlated with the amplitude of the solar cycle. It is shown here that of two empirical models for the transport of magnetic flux to the surface, the best fit to the data is obtained with a model for which the magnetic flux is carried to the surface by convection with the convection velocity proportional to a function of the solar cycle amplitude. The best fit of this model to the data is obtained for a 12-yr transit time. The period obtained for the solar cycle is T = 22.219 ± 0.032 yr. It is shown that the great solar anomaly of 1760–1800 is most likely real and not due to poor data.