The influence of faculae on sunspot heat blocking

We study the influence of faculae on sunspot heat blockage using a thermal model based on eddy heat diffusion through the convection zone. The facula is represented as a localized area of excess emission surrounding the sunspot, which is represented as a thermal plug. Our computations using a range of reasonable combinations of spot and facular depths show no significant influence of the facula on the long storage times of heat blocked by sunspots. However, the local cooling of surface layers produced by excess facular emission in this model propagates globally within the convection zone in a similar way to the heating produced by a spot. The net effect of spots and faculae on L over time scales longer than an active region lifetime should thus be determined by the global sum of sunspot flux deficits and facular excesses.