Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Cross wavelet analysis of the relationship between total solar irradiance and sunspot number

  • Articles
  • Sun & Solar System
  • Published:
Chinese Science Bulletin

Abstract

Using the observational data of total solar irradiance (TSI) from 1976 to 2006, the evolution of total solar irradiance and the relationship between TSI and sunspot number (SSN) have been analyzed with the wavelet technique. The results of the continuous wavelet transform (CWT) indicate that the TSI has multi-scale evolutionary characteristics. In the low frequency band, the TSI and SSN show similar variation with a significant and steady oscillation period from 8 to 11.4 a. While in the high frequency band, only around the maximum time of solar cycles, both the TSI and SSN present a significant intermittent oscillation period from 2 to 6 months. The results of the cross wavelet transform indicate that there is significant in-phase resonance oscillation between the TSI and SSN in 8–11.4 a band, where the variation of the SSN is 2 months ahead of that of TSI. Those results confirm the SSN as the primary cause for TSI’s periodic variation in the time scale of 8–11.4 a. However for the 2–6 month band, significant resonance periodicity is observed only within the maximum time of solar cycle, but the phase relationship between the TSI and SSN is unsteady. Finally, a reliable TSI monthly series from 1878 to 1975 is reconstructed and tested.

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

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Reid G. Solar total irradiance variations and the global sea surface temperature record. J Geophys Res, 1991, 96: 2835–2844

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. Reid G C. Solar variability and the Earth’s climate: Introduction and overview. Space Sci Rev, 2000, 94: 1–11

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. Schlesinger M E, Ramankutty N. Implications for global warming of intercycle solar irradiance variations. Nature, 1992, 360: 330–333

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. Rind D, Overpeck J. Hypothesized cause of decade-to-century climate variability. Quat Sci Rev, 1993, 12: 357–374

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. Lean J, Rind R. Climate forcing by changing solar radiation. J Clim, 1998, 11: 3069–3094

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. Oh H S, Ammann C M, Naveau P, et al. Multi-resolution time series analysis applied to solar irradiance and climate reconstructions. J Atmosph Solar-Terrest Phys, 2003, 65: 191–201

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. Solanki S K, Krivova N A. Can solar variability explain global warming since 1970? J Geophys Res, 2003, 108: 1200–1207

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. Wang S W. Progress of Research in Modern Climate Research (in Chinese). Beijing: China Meteorological Press, 2001. 418–422

    Google Scholar 

  9. Willson R C. Total solar irradiance trend during solar cycles 21 and 22. Science, 1997, 277: 1963–1965

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. Fröhlich C, Lean J. The Sun’s total irradiance: Cycles trends and related climate change uncertainties since 1976. Geophys Res Lett, 1998, 25: 4377–4380

    Article  Google Scholar 

  11. Fröhlich C. Observations of irradiance variability. Space Sci Rev, 2000, 94: 15–24

    Article  Google Scholar 

  12. Vigouroux A, Pap J, Delache P. Estimating long-term solar irradiance variability: A new approach. Sol Phys, 1997, 176: 1–21

    Article  Google Scholar 

  13. Crommelynck D, Dewitte S. Solar constant temporal and frequency characteristics. Sol Phys, 1997, 173: 177–191

    Article  Google Scholar 

  14. Willson R C, Mordvinov A V. Time-frequency analysis of total solar irradiance variations. Geophys Res Lett, 1999, 26: 3613–3616

    Article  Google Scholar 

  15. Hoyt D V, Schatten K H. A discussion of plausible solar irradiance variations: 1700∼1992. J Geophys Res, 1993, 98: 18895–18906

    Article  Google Scholar 

  16. Hoyt D V, Schatten K H. Group sunspot numbers: A new solar activity reconstruction. Sol Phy, 1998, 181: 491–512

    Article  Google Scholar 

  17. Lean J, Beer J, Bradley R. Reconstruction of solar irradiance since 1610: Implications for climate change. Geophys Res Lett, 1995, 22: 3195–3198

    Article  Google Scholar 

  18. Solanki S K, Fligge M. A reconstruction of total solar irradiance since 1700. Geophys Res Lett, 1999, 26: 2465–2468

    Article  Google Scholar 

  19. Krivova N A, Solanki S K, Fligge M, et al. Reconstruction of solar irradiance variations in cycle 23: Is solar surface magnetism the cause? Astron Astrophys, 2003, 399: L1–L4

    Article  Google Scholar 

  20. Vaquero J M, Gallego M C, Trigo R M, et al. A new reconstruction of total solar irradiance since 1832. Atmósfera, 2006, 19: 267–274

    Google Scholar 

  21. Schöll M, Steinhilber F, Beer J, et al. Long-term reconstruction of the total solar irradiance based on neutron monitor and sunspot data. Adv Space Res, 2007, 40: 996–999

    Article  Google Scholar 

  22. Luo B R. The stability of sunspot cycle reflected by the records of Chinese ancient aurora and the earthquakes. Chinese Sci Bull, 1978, 23: 362–366

    Google Scholar 

  23. Xu D Y, Gao J G. The great Wuqia Earthquake (M s=7.4; 1985) and sunspot cycle. Chinese Sci Bull, 1988, 33: 311–315

    Google Scholar 

  24. Han Y B, Han Y G. Time-variation of the near 5-month period of sunspot numbers. Chinese Sci Bull, 2002, 47: 1969–1973

    Article  Google Scholar 

  25. Liu S J, Yu X D, Chen Y Y. Prediction of solar cycle based on the invariant. Chinese Sci Bull, 2003, 48: 2564–2567

    Article  Google Scholar 

  26. Yin Z Q, Ma L H, Han Y B, et al. Long-term variations of solar activity. Chinese Sci Bull, 2007, 52: 2737–2741

    Article  Google Scholar 

  27. Torrence C, Compo G P. A practical guide to wavelet analysis. Am Meteorol Soc, 1998, 79: 61–78

    Article  Google Scholar 

  28. Grinsted A, Moore J C, Jevrejeva S. Application of the cross wavelet transform and wavelet coherence togeophysical time series. Nonlin Proc Geophys, 2004, 11: 561–566

    Article  Google Scholar 

  29. Feng B, Ke X Z, Ding H L. Wavelet analysis of sunspot numbers. Chin Astron Astrophys, 1998, 22: 83–91

    Article  Google Scholar 

  30. Han Y B, Han Y G. Wavelet analysis of sunspot relative numbers. Chinese Sci Bull, 2002, 47: 609–612

    Article  Google Scholar 

  31. Le G M, Wang J L. Wavelet analysis of the periods with relatively most sunspot numbers. Chin J Geophys, 2004, 47: 743–746

    Google Scholar 

  32. Li K J, Su W T, Liang H F. Periodicity of sunspot activity in the modern solar cycles. Chinese Sci Bull, 2004, 49: 2247–2252

    Article  Google Scholar 

  33. Zhan L S, He J M, Ye Y L, et al. The wavelet analysis of the period of solar activity. Chin Astron Astrophys, 2006, 30: 393–401

    Article  Google Scholar 

  34. Li K J, Irie M, Wang J X, et al. Activity cycle of polar faculae. Publ Astron Soc Jpn, 2002, 54: 787–792

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Atmospheric Science, Yunnan University, Kunming, 650091, China

    RuoWen Yang, Jie Cao, Wei Huang & AiBing Nian

  2. Climate Center of Yunnan Province, Kunming, 650034, China

    Wei Huang

Authors
  1. RuoWen Yang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Jie Cao
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Wei Huang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. AiBing Nian
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Jie Cao.

About this article

Cite this article

Yang, R., Cao, J., Huang, W. et al. Cross wavelet analysis of the relationship between total solar irradiance and sunspot number. Chin. Sci. Bull. 55, 2126–2130 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11434-010-3269-2

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11434-010-3269-2

Keywords

Search

Navigation