Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Cyclic Variations of the Polarity of the Photospheric Magnetic Field

  • Published:
Geomagnetism and Aeronomy Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The distribution of magnetic fields of positive and negative polarities over the Sun’s surface has been studied. Synoptic maps of the photospheric magnetic field (NSO Kitt Peak, 1978–2016) were used as the initial data. The latitude–time diagram for weak magnetic fields (B ≤ 5 G) clearly shows tilted bands, which indicate the alternate dominance of magnetic fields with positive or negative polarity drifting towards the Sun’s poles. The analysis of the latitude–time diagram using the method of empirical orthogonal functions (EOFs) made it possible to reveal a cyclic variation of the polarity of magnetic field fluxes with a period of 1–3 years, which indicates a possible relation to quasi-biennial oscillations. Similar values of the periods were obtained by latitudinal averaging of the latitude–time diagram.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1.
Fig. 2.
Fig. 3.
Fig. 4.
Fig. 5.
Fig. 6.
Fig. 7.

Similar content being viewed by others

REFERENCES

  1. Altrock, R.C., Forecasting the maxima of solar cycle 24 with coronal Fe XIV emission, Sol. Phys., 2014, vol. 289, pp. 623–629.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. Björnsson, H. and Venegas, S.A., A Manual for EOF and SVD Analyses of Climate Data, Montréal, Québec: McGill University, 1997, CCGCR Report no. 97-1.

  3. Gopalswamy, N., Yashiro, S., and Akiyama, S., Unusual polar conditions in solar cycle 24 and their implications for cycle 25, Astrophys. J. Lett., 2016, vol. 823, p. L15.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. Harvey, J., Measurements of the solar polar magnetic field, 1996. http://www.noao.edu/noao/staff/jharvey/pole.ps.

  5. Mordvinov, A.V., Pevtsov, A.A., Bertello, L., and Petrie, G.J.D., The reversal of the Sun’s magnetic field in cycle 24, Sol.-Terr. Phys., 2016, vol. 2, no. 1, pp. 3–18.

    Google Scholar 

  6. Mursula, K., Getachew, T., and Virtanen, I.I., Spatial–temporal evolution of photospheric weak-field shifts in solar cycles 21–24, Astron. Astrophys., 2021, vol. 645, p. A47.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. Petrie, G.J.D., Solar magnetism in the polar regions, Living Rev. Sol. Phys., 2015, vol. 12, pp. 5–102.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. Ulrich, R.K. and Tran, T., The global solar magnetic field: Identification of traveling, long-lived ripples, Astrophys. J., 2013, vol. 768, p. 189.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Vecchio, A., Laurenza, M., Meduri, D., et al., The dynamics of the solar magnetic field: Polarity reversals, butterfly diagram, and quasi-biennial oscillations, Astrophys. J., 2012, vol. 749, p. 27.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. Vernova, E.S., Tyasto, M.I., Baranov, D.G., and Danilova, O.A., Positive and negative photospheric fields in solar cycles 21–24, Geomagn. Aeron. (Engl. Transl.), 2018, vol. 58, no. 8, pp. 1136–1143.

Download references

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The NSO/Kitt Peak data used here are produced cooperatively by NSF/NOAO, NASA/GSFC, and NOAA/SEL (ftp://nispdata.nso.edu/kpvt/synoptic/mag/). Data acquired by SOLIS instruments were operated by NISP/NSO/ AURA/NSF (https://magmap.nso.edu/solis/archive.html). The authors express their gratitude to the reviewer for careful reading of the article and helpful remarks.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. St. Petersburg Branch of the Pushkov Institute of Terrestrial Magnetism, Ionosphere and Radio Wave Propagation, Russian Academy of Sciences, 199034, St. Petersburg, Russia

    E. S. Vernova & M. I. Tyasto

  2. Ioffe Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences, 194021, St. Petersburg, Russia

    D. G. Baranov

Authors
  1. E. S. Vernova
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. M. I. Tyasto
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. D. G. Baranov
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding authors

Correspondence to E. S. Vernova or D. G. Baranov.

Ethics declarations

The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.

Additional information

Translated by M. Chubarova

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Vernova, E.S., Tyasto, M.I. & Baranov, D.G. Cyclic Variations of the Polarity of the Photospheric Magnetic Field. Geomagn. Aeron. 62, 945–951 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1134/S0016793222070192

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1134/S0016793222070192

Search

Navigation