Preliminary forecast for the peak of solar activity cycle 24

Our forecast for the development phase of solar cycle 23 came out to be true; one of the very few to have attained this status out of several forecasts made. We review the details of the forecast and how it fared as the events unfolded in time. We note the present status of IMF intensity B and the planetary index Ap. We draw inferences as to what to expect for the development phase of cycle 24; several forecasts have already been made, they cover all possible scenarios, ranging from a very active to the quietest cycle in a century. Our preliminary forecast for the smoothed sunspot number at cycle 24 maximum is 101 ± 5, indicating that cycle 24 will be about 20% less active than cycle 23; the possibility that next three solar cycles may be progressively less active cannot be ruled out.     

Even–odd cycle parity in complexity of hemispheric sunspot activity

We have used the Lempel–Ziv measure to describe the complexity in sunspot activity during the solar cycles 18–23. In particular, we examined the time series of daily sunspot numbers in the northern and southern hemispheres in each of the six cycles and calculated the Lempel–Ziv complexity (LZC) value for each time series. Our results indicate that in the even cycles, the LZC values of the sunspot numbers in the two hemispheres are very close to each other, whereas in the odd cycles they differ significantly between the two hemispheres. We also find that within each hemisphere the LZC varies from cycle to cycle. This even–odd cycle parity reflects the variations in inter-hemispheric strengths of the solar magnetic field leading to different temporal distributions of sunspots in the two hemispheres. The degree of complexity may influence the predictability of sunspot activity in the two hemispheres during the various cycles. Although the physical implication of the results is not clear, these results may stimulate new ideas into modeling the complex dynamics of the solar dynamo.     

Observed solar cycle modulation of galactic cosmic rays over a range of rigidities

We have studied the long-term, steady-state, solar cycle modulation of galactic cosmic ray intensity for seven cycles (17–23). Our analysis is based on the data obtained with a variety of detectors on earth (neutron monitors of the global network and muon detectors) as well as telescopes flown on high altitude balloons and on-board near-earth satellites. The median rigidity of response for these detectors to galactic cosmic ray spectrum lies in the range 1–70 GV. We correlate cosmic ray data to sunspot numbers, Ap, solar wind bulk speed (V), magnetic field (B), as well as to the cycle maximum (M), minimum (m), and the epochs of the solar polar field reversals. This enables us to derive the rigidity dependence of observations, and helps us to define the characteristics of the modulation function in the heliosphere.     

Solar wind electron density and temperature over solar cycle 23: Thermal noise measurements on Wind

We present the solar wind plasma parameters obtained from the Wind spacecraft during more than nine years, encompassing almost the whole solar cycle 23. Since its launch in November 1994 Wind has frequently observed the in-ecliptic solar wind upstream of the Earth’s bow shock. The WIND/WAVES thermal noise receiver was specially designed to measure the in situ plasma thermal noise spectra, from which the electron density and temperature can be accurately determined. We present and discuss histograms of such measurements performed from 1994 to 2003. Using these large data sets, we study the density and core temperature variations with solar activity cycle and with different regimes of the solar wind. We confirm the anticorrelation of the electron density with the sunspot number, and obtain a positive correlation of the core temperature, with the sunspot number.     

Sunspot activity and cosmic ray modulation at 1 a.u. for 1900–2013

The descent of sunspot cycle 23 to an unprecedented minimum of long duration in 2006–2009 led to a prolonged galactic cosmic ray (GCR) recovery to the highest level observed in the instrumental era for a variety of energetic charged particle species on Earth, over a wide range of rigidities. The remarkable GCR increase measured by several ground-based, balloon-borne, and detectors on a satellite is described and discussed. It is accompanied by a decrease in solar wind velocity and interplanetary magnetic field at 1 a.u., reaching the lowest values since measurements of the solar wind began in October 1963; the solar polar field strength (μT) measured at the Wilcox Solar Observatory (WSO) is also significantly reduced compared to prior cycles since the start of the program in 1976, the polar field in the northern hemisphere reversed in June 2012 and again in February 2014, that in the southern hemisphere reversed in July 2013. If updates of WSO data confirm the second reversal in northern solar hemisphere, it would pose a serious challenge to the Dynamo Theory. The long-term change in solar behavior may have begun in 1992, perhaps earlier. The physical underpinnings of these solar changes need to be understood and their effect on GCR modulation processes clarified. The study discusses the recent phenomena in the context of GCR modulation since 1900. These happenings affected our empirical predictions for the key parameters for the next two sunspot cycles (they may be progressively less active than sunspot cycle 24) but it enhanced support for our prediction that solar activity is descending into a Dalton-like grand minimum in the middle of the twentyfirst century, reducing the frequency of the coronal mass ejections; they determine the space weather affecting the quality of life on Earth, radiation dose for hardware and human activities in space as well as the frequency of large Forbush decreases at 1 a.u.     

Comparison of heliospheric conditions near the earth during four recent solar maxima

Statistical properties of the daily averaged values of the solar activity (sunspot numbers, total solar irradiance and 10.7 cm radio emission indices), the solar wind plasma and the interplanetary magnetic field parameters near the Earth’s orbit are investigated for a period from 1964 to 2002 covering the maxima of four solar cycles from 20th to 23rd. Running half-year averages show significant solar cycle variations in the solar activity indices but only marginal and insignificant changes in comparison with background fluctuations for heliospheric bulk plasma and magnetic field parameters. The current 23rd cycle maximum is weaker than 21st and 22nd maxima, but slightly stronger than 20th cycle in most of solar and heliospheric manifestations.     

Sunspot cycle prediction using Warped Gaussian process regression

Solar cycle prediction is a key activity in space weather research. Several techniques have been employed in recent decades in order to try to forecast the next sunspot-cycle maxima and time. In this work, the Gaussian process, a machine-learning technique, is used to make a prediction for the solar cycle 25 based on the annual sunspot number 2.0 data from 1700 to 2018. A variation known as Warped Gaussian process is employed in order to deal with the non-negativity constraint and asymmetrical data distribution. Tests using holdout data yielded a root mean square error of 10.0 within 5 years and 25.0–35.0 within 10 years. Simulations using the predictive distribution were performed to account for the uncertainty in the prediction. Cycle 25 is expected to last from 2019 to 2029, with a peak sunspot number about 117 (110 by the median) occurring most likely in 2024. Thus our method predicts that solar Cycle 25 will be weaker than previous ones, implying a continuing trend of declining solar activity as observed in the past two cycles.     

利用相似周方法预测第24活动周开始时间

利用相似周方法对第24活动周的开始时间与第23活动周下降相后期的太阳黑子数进行了预报.根据第23周已经出现的特征参量和下降相的形态特征,选取9,10,11,15,17和20等六个太阳活动周作为第23周下降相的相似周,对第24周开始时间进行预报.预报结果显示,第24活动周的开始时间为2007年5±1月,黑子数平滑月均极小值为7.1±2.6,第23太阳活动周长度为11.1年.与其他研究者的预报结果相比较,本文给出的结果与文献[11]和[12]及MSFC的结果比较一致.通过对相似周方法在下降相预测太阳活动周结束时间的研究讨论,及对第23周上升阶段的太阳黑子数和F10.7平滑月均值预报结果的评估,可以看出,相似周预报方法在太阳活动周长期预报中是很有应用价值的.      

The onset of sunspot cycle 24 and galactic cosmic ray modulation

The annual mean sunspot number (SSN) has a minimum value in 2008, while the monthly mean SSN has a value of zero in August 2009. The galactic cosmic ray modulation for cycle 24 began at earth orbit in January 2010. We study the onset characteristics of the new modulation cycle using data from the global network of neutron monitors. They respond to time variations in different segments of the galactic cosmic ray rigidity spectrum. The corresponding temporal variations in the interplanetary magnetic field intensity (B) and solar wind velocity (V) as well as the tilt angle of the heliospheric current sheet are also studied. There is a lag of 3 months between a large, sharp increase of the tilt angle of the heliospheric current sheet and the onset of modulation. Some neutron monitors are undergoing long-term drifts of unknown origin.     

Predicting indices of the ionosphere response to solar activity for the ascending phase of the 25th solar cycle

The international reference ionosphere, IRI, and its extension to plasmasphere, IRI-Plas, models require reliable prediction of solar and ionospheric proxy indices of solar activity for nowcasting and forecasting of the ionosphere parameters. It is shown that IRI prediction errors could increase for the F2 layer critical frequency foF2 and the peak height hmF2 due to erroneous predictions of the ionospheric global IG index and the international sunspot number SSN1 index on which IRI and IRI-Plas models are built. Regression relation is introduced to produce daily SSN1 proxy index from new time series SSN2 index provided from June 2015, after recalibration of sunspots data. To avoid extra errors of the ionosphere model a new solar activity prediction (SAP) model for the ascending part of the solar cycle SC25 is proposed which expresses analytically the SSN1 proxy index and the 10.7-cm radio flux F10.7 index in terms of the phase of the solar cycle, Φ. SAP model is based on monthly indices observed during the descending part of SC24 complemented with forecast of time and amplitude for SC25 peak. The strength of SC25 is predicted to be less than that of SC24 as shown with their amplitudes for eight types of indices driving IRI-Plas model.     

Trends in foF2 and the 24th solar activity cycle

The trends in foF2 are analyzed based on the data of Juliusruh and Boulder ionospheric stations. It is shown that using the traditional solar activity index F10.7 leads to an impossible trend in foF2 when the data for the 24th solar activity cycle are included into the analysis. It is assumed that the F10.7 index does not describe correctly the solar ultraviolet radiation variations in that cycle. A correction of this index using the Rz (sunspot number) and Ly (intensity of the Lyman-α line in the solar spectrum) is performed, and it is shown that in that case reasonable values of the foF2 trends are obtained.     

Synoptic magnetic field in cycle 23 and in the beginning of the cycle 24

The SOHO/MDI data provide the uniform time series of the synoptic magnetic maps which cover the period of the cycle 23 and the beginning of the cycle 24. It is very interesting period because of the long and deep solar minimum between the cycles 23 and 24. Synoptic structure of the solar magnetic field shows variability during solar cycles. It is known that the magnetic activity contributes to the solar irradiance. The axisymmetrical distribution of the magnetic flux (Fig. 3c) is closely associated with the ‘butterfly’ diagram in the EUV emission (Benevolenskaya et al., 2001). And, also, the magnetic field (B_∥) shows the non-uniform distributions of the solar activity with longitude, so-called ‘active zones’, and ‘coronal holes’ in the mid-latitude. Polar coronal holes are forming after the solar maxima and they persist during the solar minima. SOHO/EIT data in the emission of Fe XII (195 Å) could be a proxy for the coronal holes tracking. The active longitudinal zones or active longitude exist due to the reappearance of the activity and it is clearly seen in the synoptic structure of the solar cycle. On the descending branch of the solar cycle 23 active zones are less pronounced comparing with previous cycles 20, 21 and 22. Moreover, the weak polar magnetic field precedes the long and deep solar minimum. In this paper we have discussed the development of solar cycles 23 and 24 in details.     

Solar terrestrial effects of two distinct types

The occurrence frequencies or fluxes of most of the solar phenomena show a 11-year cycle like that of sunspots. However, the average characteristics of these phenomena may not show a 11-year cycle. Among the terrestrial parameters, some related directly to the occurrence frequencies of solar phenomena (for example, ionospheric number densities related to solar EUV fluxes which show 11-year cycle like sunspots) show 11-year cycles, including the double-peak structures near sunspot maxima. Other terrestrial parameters related to average characteristics may not show 11-year sunspot cycles. For example, long-term geomagnetic activity (Ap or Dst indices) is related to the average interplanetary solar wind speed V and the total magnetic field B. The average values of V depend not on the occurrence frequency of ICMEs and/or CIRs as such, but on the relative proportion of slow and high-speed events in them. Hence, V values (and Ap values) in any year could be low, normal or high irrespective of the phase of the 11-year cycle, except that during sunspot minimum, V (and Ap) values are also low. However, 2–3 years after the solar minimum (well before sunspot maximum), V values increase, oscillate near a high level for several years, and may even increase further during the declining phase of sunspot activity, due to increased influence of high-speed CIRs (corotating interplanetary regions). Thus, Ap would have no fixed relationship with sunspot activity. If some terrestrial parameter shows a 11-year cycle, chances are that the solar connection is through the occurrence frequencies (and not average characteristics) of some solar parameter.     

Ground-level enhancements during solar cycle 23: results from SVIRCO,LOMNICKY STIT and LARC neutron monitors

The list of Ground-Level Enhancements (GLEs) occurring during the on-going solar cycle (no. 23) is used to show that they are absent during a time interval of the maximum phase in which a relative reduction in the sunspot area extent occurs. This period refers to October 2000 to March 2001 and it is associated with the concept of the Gnevyshev Gap, introduced 10 years ago by the Rome cosmic ray group. Also, effects of the Gnevyshev Gap in the solar cycle modulation of the atmospheric attenuation coefficient for Rome neutron monitor during the past solar cycle (no. 22) are illustrated. Moreover, it is suggested that GLE data files should be prepared by using the appropriate attenuation coefficient for each level of solar activity.     

Essential features of long-term changes of areas and diameters of sunspot groups in solar activity cycles 12–24

We analyze the Greenwich catalog data on areas of sunspot groups of last thirteen solar cycles. Various parameters of sunspots are considered, namely: average monthly smoothed areas, maximum area for each year and equivalent diameters of groups of sunspots. The first parameter shows an exceptional power of the 19th cycle of solar activity, which appears here more contrastively than in the numbers of spots (that is, in Wolf’s numbers). It was found that in the maximum areas of sunspot groups for a year there is a unique phenomenon: a short and high jump in the 18th cycle (in 1946–1947) that has no analogues in other cycles. We also studied the integral distributions for equivalent diameters and found the following: (a) the average value of the index of power-law approximation is 5.4 for the last 13 cycles and (b) there is reliable evidence of Hale's double cycle (about 44?years). Since this indicator reflects the dispersion of sunspot group diameters, the results obtained show that the convective zone of the Sun generates embryos of active regions in different statistical regimes which change with a cycle of about 44?years.     

An empirical approach to predicting the key parameters for a sunspot number cycle

The common methodologies used to predict the smooth sunspot number (SSN) at peak (Rmax) and the rise time (Tr) for a cycle are noted. The estimates based on geomagnetic precursors give the best prediction of Rmax for five SSN cycles (20–24). In particular, an empirical technique invoking three-cycle quasi-periodicity (TCQP) in Ap index has made accurate predictions of Rmax and Tr for two consecutive SSN cycles (23 and 24). The dynamo theories are unable to account for TCQP. If it endures in the 21st century the Sun shall enter a Dalton-like grand minimum. It was a period of global cooling. The current status of the ascending phase of cycle 24 is described and the delayed reversal of the solar polar field reversal in the southern hemisphere in September 2013 is noted.     

太阳黑子自动识别与特征参量自动提取

日面上黑子数目反映了太阳活动水平的高低.黑子形态的复杂性和磁场的非势性与太阳活动爆发密切相关.随着高时空精度的太阳观测数据量的急剧增长，快速准确地自动识别日面上的黑子以及对黑子群特征自动提取已成为太阳活动预报的现实需求.本文针对SDO/HMI的活动区白光数据，利用数学形态法开展黑子自动识别研究，并在黑子识别基础上对黑子群的面积和黑子数进行了计算.通过对利用2011-2017年HMI活动区数据计算得到的黑子群面积和黑子数与NOAA/SWPC发布的活动区相应参量进行比较，发现本文计算结果与SWPC发布数据的变化趋势基本一致，相关性较好.其中黑子群面积的相关系数为0.77，黑子数的相关系数为0.79.研究结果表明，利用本文方法对SDO/HMI数据进行处理，能够得到高时间分辨率的黑子群特征参量，可为太阳活动预报提供及时准确的输入.      

A 22-year cycle in sunspot activity

We study the recently presented group sunspot number series and show that a persistent 22-year periodicity exists in sunspot activity throughout the entire period of about 400 years of direct sunspot observations. The amplitude of this periodicity in total cycle intensity is about 20% of the present intensity level. A 22-year periodicity in sunspot activity is naturally produced by the 22-year magnetic dynamo cycle in the presence of a relic magnetic field. Accordingly, a persistent 22-year periodicity in sunspot activity gives strong evidence for the existence of such a relic magnetic field in the Sun. The stable phase and the roughly constant amplitude of this periodicity during times of very different sunspot activity level strongly support this interpretation.     

第21～24太阳周4类空间天气事件爆发特征统计分析

对第21～24太阳周不同等级的太阳X射线耀斑事件、太阳质子事件、地磁暴事件及高能电子增强事件的爆发频次特征进行统计，结果表明:太阳周耀斑爆发的总数量与该太阳周的黑子数峰值呈正比，耀斑总数、X级耀斑事件数与峰值的相关系数分别为0.974，0.997；太阳质子事件主要发生在峰年前后1～2年，约占总发生次数的80%，峰值通量大于10pfu （1 pfu=1 cm-2·sr-1·s-1）的质子事件中，84%伴有耀斑爆发，并且主要伴随M或X级耀斑，少量伴随C级耀斑，峰值通量大于1000pfu的质子事件中，98%伴随M或X级耀斑，并且以X级耀斑为主；第21，22，23和24太阳周发生地磁暴最频繁的时间分别在1982，1991，2003年和2015年，分别滞后黑子数峰值时间3年、2年、2年和1年；72%的高能电子增强事件发生在太阳周下降期，24%的高能电子增强事件发生在太阳周上升期.      

Study of the influence of solar variability on a regional (Indian) climate: 1901–2007

We use Indian temperature data of more than 100 years to study the influence of solar activity on climate. We study the Sun–climate relationship by averaging solar and climate data at various time scales; decadal, solar activity and solar magnetic cycles. We also consider the minimum and maximum values of sunspot number (SSN) during each solar cycle. This parameter SSN is correlated better with Indian temperature when these data are averaged over solar magnetic polarity epochs (SSN maximum to maximum). Our results indicate that the solar variability may still be contributing to ongoing climate change and suggest for more investigations.