Cyclic and Long-term Variation of Sunspot Magnetic Fields

TL;DR

This study analyzes long-term variations of sunspot magnetic fields from 1920 to 2012, finding strong solar cycle fluctuations but no significant overall long-term trend, with a slight decline observed at solar minima.

Contribution

It introduces a new proxy for sunspot magnetic field strength based on sunspot areas, enabling extended analysis from 1874 to 2012.

Findings

Solar cycle variation of 500-700 G in sunspot fields

No significant long-term trend in peak sunspot fields

Gradual decline in sunspot fields at solar minima over recent cycles

Abstract

Measurements from the Mount Wilson Observatory (MWO) are used to study the long-term variations of sunspot field strengths from 1920 to 1958. Following a modified approach similar to that in Pevtsov et al. (2011), for each observing week we select a single sunspot with the strongest field strength measured that week and then compute monthly averages of these weekly maximum field strengths. The data show the solar cycle variation of the peak field strengths with an amplitude of about 500-700 gauss (G), but no statistically significant long-term trends. Next, we use the sunspot observations from the Royal Greenwich Observatory (RGO) to establish a relationship between the sunspot areas and the sunspot field strengths for Cycles 15-19. This relationship is then used to create a proxy of peak magnetic field strength based on sunspot areas from the RGO and the USAF/NOAA network for the period from 1874 to early 2012. Over this interval, the magnetic field proxy shows a clear solar cycle variation with an amplitude of 500-700 G and a weaker long-term trend. From 1874 to around 1920, the mean value of magnetic field proxy increases by about 300-350 G, and, following a broad maximum in 1920-1960, it decreases by about 300 G. Using the proxy for the magnetic field strength as the reference, we scale the MWO field measurements to the measurements of the magnetic fields in Pevtsov et al. (2011) to construct a combined data set of maximum sunspot field strengths extending from 1920 to early 2012. This combined data set shows strong solar cycle variations and no significant long-term trend (linear fit to the data yields a slope of $-0.2\pm$0.8 G year$^{-1}$). On the other hand, the peak sunspot field strengths observed at the minimum of the solar cycle show a gradual decline over the last three minima (corresponding to cycles 21-23) with a mean downward trend of $\approx$ 15 G year$^{-1}$.