Observation of a sunspot penetrating a larger spot of the same polarity : Liu Qing-zhong & Wu Qin-di Purple Mountain Observatory, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing 210008

Abstract

Corotating coronal holes of the Sun induce fluctuations of the solar wind speed in the vicinity of the Earth. The fluctuations of solar wind speed are closely correlated with geomagnetic activity. Solar wind speed has been monitored by satellites since the mid 1960s. The long-term series of solar wind speed show enhanced amplitudes at the solar rotation period 27.3 days and at its harmonics 13.6 and 9.1 days. The amplitude series are modulated by a quasi-biennial oscillation (QBO) with a period of 1.75a (21 months) as bispectral analysis reveals. A 1.75a QBO component is also present in the equatorial, zonal wind of the stratosphere at 30 hPa, in addition to the well-known QBO component at the period 2.4a (29 months). The solar wind QBO may influence the stratospheric QBO, the global electric circuit, and cloud cover by modulation of ionospheric electric fields, cosmic ray flux, and particle precipitation. For a further analysis, the series of solar wind speed fluctuations are bandpass-filtered at the period 1.75a. The filtered series provide the amplitude of the solar wind QBO as function of time. The maxima of the solar wind QBO series are correlated with those of the ENSO index. The analysis indicate that the solar wind QBO may trigger the ENSO activity. This result is speculative at the moment. However, the focus of the study is on the investigation of the long-term modulations of the short-term (4–45 days) oscillations of the solar wind speed which are quite unexplored yet.