Long-period oscillation processes in sunspot groups (ground-based and exoatmospheric observations)

The SOHO (MDI) exoatmospheric observations have proved the existence of long-period oscillations in active solar regions, which are manifested in a number of spatial and temporal modes; this had been established earlier by ground-based observations.     

Long-term oscillations in solar active regions based on magnetic fields and radio emission

A comparative analysis of sunspot oscillations and related radio sources in the active regions AR 8949, AR 8951, and AR 8953 is carried out using SOHO MDI data and simultaneous observations with the Nobeyama Radioheliograph, with a one-minute time resolution on scales of tens to hundreds of minutes. The radio sources in the selected active regions are ～40 000–60 000 km away from the corresponding spots, with the periods of long-term oscillations of the radio sources being ～12% longer.     

Long-term variations of solar magnetic fields derived from geomagnetic data

There are limited homogeneous instrumental observations of the sunspot magnetic fields, but the Earth is a sort of a probe reacting to interplanetary disturbances which are manifestation of the solar magnetic fields. We find correlations between some parameters of geomagnetic activity (the geomagnetic activity “floor”—the minimum value under which the geomagnetic activity cannot fall in a sunspot cycle, and the rate of increase of the geomagnetic activity with increasing sunspot number), and sunspot magnetic fields (the sunspot magnetic field in the cycle minimum, and the rate of increase of the sunspot magnetic field from cycle minimum to cycle maximum). Based on these correlations we are able to reconstruct the sunspot magnetic fields in sunspot minima and maxima since sunspot cycle 9 (mid 19th century).     

Recurrence of flare energy releases in solar active regions (Cycle 23)

The following results have been achieved in this work. The distribution of the recurrence times of solar flare events is generally lognormal. The typical flare recurrence times at the cycle 23 minimum and maximum are different: the average times (100–200 min) are most typical of the maximum; at the same time, the minimum is simultaneously characterized by short (several tens of seconds) and long (from several hundreds to a thousand of minutes). The minimal flare recurrence time tends to decrease in an active region with increasing sunspot group area in this region. The average flare recurrence times in an active region have typical values of 120^m, 210^m, 300^m, 400^m, and 530^m, which is close to the typical periods of long-period sunspot oscillations. The total number of flares in an active region depends on the sunspot area in this region and the flare energy release rate.     

Special points in 11-year variations in the latitudinal characteristics of sunspot activity

It has been indicated that special moments (turning points), when certain characteristics of the latitudinal (equatorward) drift of the sunspot drift zone suddenly change, exist in each 11-year solar cycle. The moment when a sunspot formation low-latitude boundary minimum (T2), coordinated in time with the end of a polar magnetic field polarity reversal, exists has a special place among these points. A conclusion has been drawn that it is impossible to reconstruct polarity reversal moments in the past based on information about turning points T2. The average velocities of the latitudinal drift of the minimal, average, and maximal sunspot group latitudes have been calculated. It has been indicated that the closeness of the relationship between the first two velocities and the maximal activity amplitudes in the cycles differ substantially for the first (before point T2) and second (after point T2) cycle parts. The corresponding values of the correlation coefficients increase substantially in the second cycle (after point T2). It has been established that a relationship exists between some velocities calculated in these cycles and the activity amplitudes at maximums of the next cycles. A model for predicting future cycle maximums has been constructed based on this conclusion. The probable average annual Wolf number at a maximum of cycle 24 has been determined (W(24) = 93).     

Reconstructions of the <Superscript>14</Superscript>С cosmogenic isotope content from natural archives after the last glacial termination

Data on the content of the ¹⁴C cosmogenic isotope in tree rings, which were obtained as a result of laboratory measurements, are often used when solar activity (SA) is reconstructed for previous epochs, in which direct observations are absent. However, these data contain information not only about SA variations but also about changes in the Earth climatic parameters, such as the global temperature and the CO₂ content in the Earth’s atmosphere. The effect of these variations on the ¹⁴C isotope content in different natural reservoirs after the last glacial termination to the middle of the Holocene is considered. The global temperature and the CO₂ content increased on this time interval. In this case the ¹⁴C absolute content in the atmosphere increased on this time interval, even though the ¹⁴С to ¹²С isotope concentration ratio (as described by the Δ¹⁴С parameter) decreased. These variations in the radiocarbon absolute content can be caused by its redistribution between natural reservoirs. It has been indicated that such a redistribution is possible only when the rate of carbon exchange between the ocean and atmosphere depends on temperature. The values of the corresponding temperature coefficient for the 17–10 ka BC time interval, which make it possible to describe the carbon redistribution between the ocean and atmosphere, have been obtained.     

On the amplitude of the radio response of the active region magnetosphere to long-period natural oscillations of sunspots

The following has been indicated for the cyclotron emission of microwave sources based on a simple modeling of a unipolar sunspot magnetosphere by the magnetic monopole, submerged in subphotospheric layers, and a temperature, changing with altitude as hyperbolic tangent. At insignificant changes in the sunspot magnetic field strength, originating as a result of oscillations of a sunspot as an integrated structure, the oscillation amplitude (in percent) of brightness temperatures of the Stokes I and V parameters at a wavelength of 1.76 cm (NoRH) is an order of magnitude as large as the magnetic field strength amplitude. This amplitude is of the same order of magnitude as the field oscillation amplitude at a wavelength of 5.2 cm (SSRT).     

Versions of Time Series for Classical Solar Indices and an Adequate Description of Solar Activity

This article discusses issues relevant to the 2015 recalibration of the time series of classical solar indices. It shows that the Wolf numbers WN and the group numbers GN are sensitive to the quality of the observations underpinning the reconstructions of the relevant time series, given the intermittent recordings in the 17th and 18th centuries. The authors suggest that research efforts should focus on the compilation of a long series of total sunspot areas (absolute sunspot magnetic flux), because, on the one hand, this series is less sensitive to poor-quality observations, while, on the other hand, it reflects a clear physical index.     

Evidence of Solar Variation in Tree-Ring-Based Climate Reconstructions

Analyses of the summer temperature anomalies in northern Fennoscandia for A.D. –1991 and mean annual temperature in the northern hemisphere for A.D. 1000–1990 (both reconstructed by means of dendrochronological methods) are performed using Fourier and wavelet approaches. It is revealed that the century-type (65–140 yr) periodicity is present in both series during most of the full time range. A comparison of the northern Fennoscandian temperature record with a variety of indicators of solar activity (direct measurements and proxies) shows that this century-scale periodicity most probably was forced by a centennial cycle of solar activity (Gleissberg cycle). Despite the fact that the connection between the centennial variation of global northern hemispheric temperature and that of the Sun's activity is weaker, a link between the two can also not be excluded. The results obtained give us new evidence of the reality of the solar–climate link over a record long-time scale (at least during the last millennium). Variable length of the century-long temperature periodicity may reflect the corresponding changes in the length of the Gleissberg solar cycle. The effects, which can obscure the Sun's influence on the global hemispheric climate, are discussed.