Active regions and the large scale flow in the solar photosphere

Summary Statistics on sunspot leaders and followers in active regions are derived from the 50 years of Greenwich records 1905–1954. The results are combined with the probable structure of large scale solar eddies as synthesized from various relevant pieces of information. It is found that active regions tend to be located in anticyclonic ridges of the large disturbances. The statistical leader and follower populations are further subdivided, each into new and old spot classifications. The new leaders, especially, show motions different from those of other spots, suggesting the presence of a life cycle for the large disturbances. It is found that the divergence and vorticity are positive and anticyclonic, respectively, for the new active regions, the former quantity being numerically larger than the latter in this case. Various possible implications of the material are discussed.