Lons-term variations of solar activity

Using the Lomb-Scargle periodogram we analyzed two sunspot series： the one over the past 11000 years at the 10-year interval based upon the survey data of ^14C concentration in tree-rings, reconstructed by Solanki et al.; and the sunspot number over the past 7000 years, derived from geomagnetic variations by Usoskin et al. We found the periods and quasi-periods in solar activity, such as about 225, 352, 441,522 and 561 a, and near 1000 and 2000 a. An approach of wavelet transform was applied to check the two sunspot time series, with emphasis on investigating time-varying characteristics in the long-term fluctuations of solar activity. The results show that the lengths and amplitudes of the periods have changed with time, and large variations have taken place during some periods.     

Unusual activity of the Sun during recent decades compared to the previous 11,000 years

Direct observations of sunspot numbers are available for the past four centuries, but longer time series are required, for example, for the identification of a possible solar influence on climate and for testing models of the solar dynamo. Here we report a reconstruction of the sunspot number covering the past 11,400 years, based on dendrochronologically dated radiocarbon concentrations. We combine physics-based models for each of the processes connecting the radiocarbon concentration with sunspot number. According to our reconstruction, the level of solar activity during the past 70 years is exceptional, and the previous period of equally high activity occurred more than 8,000 years ago. We find that during the past 11,400 years the Sun spent only of the order of 10% of the time at a similarly high level of magnetic activity and almost all of the earlier high-activity periods were shorter than the present episode. Although the rarity of the current episode of high average sunspot numbers may indicate that the Sun has contributed to the unusual climate change during the twentieth century, we point out that solar variability is unlikely to have been the dominant cause of the strong warming during the past three decades.     

Climate: how unusual is today's solar activity?

To put global warming into context requires knowledge about past changes in solar activity and the role of the Sun in climate change. Solanki et al. propose that solar activity during recent decades was exceptionally high compared with that over the preceding 8,000 years. However, our extended analysis of the radiocarbon record reveals several periods during past centuries in which the strength of the magnetic field in the solar wind was similar to, or even higher than, that of today.     

太阳活动峰年和谷年期间黑子群与耀斑的统计分析

基于NOAA/SWPC公布的太阳活动数据,我们选取第24太阳活动峰年附近的12个连续月份(2011年7月至2012年6月)和第23太阳活动周谷年附近的12个连续月份(2005年7月至2006年6月),统计了这两段时间中太阳黑子群和耀斑的活动规律,并根据时间、黑子群分布纬度、寿命和磁场类型等对峰年和谷年进行了详细分析和比较,主要结论如下所述.(1)黑子群数随时间的变化在峰年和谷年均比较随机,峰年期间黑子数比谷年增多1.5倍左右.耀斑爆发与黑子群活动具有良好的相关性,但峰年期间存在某个月份耀斑数很少的现象,而谷年期间存在某个月份耀斑数集中增多的现象.(2)无论峰年还是谷年,δ类型黑子群的耀斑产率(耀斑总数与黑子群总数之比)最大,但β型黑子群产生的耀斑爆发最多.耀斑产率与磁场类型有密切关系,但与其所处太阳活动周中的阶段无关.(3)黑子群和耀斑的纬度分布的南北不对称性,以X级耀斑最为显著.峰年较谷年的耀斑数增加主要集中在C级和M级.(4)耀斑产率同黑子群寿命具有良好的相关性,但黑子群的数目同它们的寿命之间没有明显的规律.     

Periodicity of sunspot activity in the modern solar cycles

Sunspot number, sunspot area and sunspot unit area are usually used to show sunspot activity. In this paper,periodicity of sunspot activity of modern solar cycles has been investigated through analyzing the monthly mean values of the three indices in the time interval of May 1874 to May 2004 by use of the wavelet transform. Their global power spectra and local power spectra are given while the statistical tests of these spectra are taken into account. The main results are (1) the local wavelet power spectrum of the sunspot number seems like that of the sunspot area, indicating that the periodicity of the both indices is similar. The local power spectrum of the sunspot unit area resembles the local power spectra of the previous two indices, but looks more complicated. (2) the possible periods in sunspot activity are about 10.6 (or 10.9 years for the sunspot unit area), 31,and 42 years, and the period of about 10.6 years is statistically significant in the considered time. For the periods of about 31 and 42 years, their power peaks are under the 95% confidence level line but over the mean red-noise spectral line, and for the other rest periods, their power peaks are even under the mean red-noise spectral line, which are statistically insignificant. (3) the local power of the three periods is higher in the late stage than in the early stage of the considered time. (4) the period characteristics of the three indices, shown in the global power spectra and the local power spectra, are similar but there is difference in detail.     

Variations in solar luminosity and their effect on the Earth's climate

Variations in the Sun's total energy output (luminosity) are caused by changing dark (sunspot) and bright structures on the solar disk during the 11-year sunspot cycle. The variations measured from spacecraft since 1978 are too small to have contributed appreciably to accelerated global warming over the past 30 years. In this Review, we show that detailed analysis of these small output variations has greatly advanced our understanding of solar luminosity change, and this new understanding indicates that brightening of the Sun is unlikely to have had a significant influence on global warming since the seventeenth century. Additional climate forcing by changes in the Sun's output of ultraviolet light, and of magnetized plasmas, cannot be ruled out. The suggested mechanisms are, however, too complex to evaluate meaningfully at present.     

Revisit of short-term periodicities in solar mean magnetic field

Short-term variations of the solar mean magnetic field （SMMF） were investigated through re-analyzing the data from the Wilcox Solar Observatory during the last four solar activity cycles using continuous wavelet transforms. We demonstrated the time-variable characters of short-term periods of SMMF. Our results indicate that the SMMF has main periods of about 27 and 13.5 days not only in the minimum and maximum years of each activity cycle, but also in the increase and decrease of the solar cycle. The result is partly different from the conclusion that the SMMF has dominant period of about 27 days during the solar maxima and about 13.5 days during the solar minimum years （Ye et al. in Solar Phys 279：411418, 2012）. The entire time span of SMMF was investigated and discussed further.     

Time-variation of the near 5-month period of sunspot numbers

The variation of the near 5-month period of sunspot numbers is discussed on the basis of the wavelet transform of the daily sunspot number series in the 14th—22nd solar cycles. The result shows that the period exists in every cycle and its energy density (amplitude) is comparatively large in the peak section of the cycle. In the distinct cycle, the length and intensity of the period is different, which means that the period varies with time. The near 25-day period is also analyzed and it is found to be timevariable and even not very stable in the peak section of the cycle. The variations of the two periods show that the near 5-month period should not be simply regarded as the multiples of the near 25-day period.     

Wavelet analysis of sunspot relative numbers

The time series of the monthly smoothed sunspot numbers in 1749-2000 is analyzed with the wavelet.The result shows that besides the known time-variation of the period about 11 years, other main periods of the sunspot numbers, such as the periods of about 100 years and so on,vary with time. We suggest that the time-variation of the main periods is the manifestation of the complex variation of sunspot numbers. It is significant to make a thorough study of the character and mechanism of the time-variation of the periods for proving prediction of sunspot numbers, especially for understanding the variation process of sunspot numbers.     

Phase relationship between the relative sunspot number and solar 10.7 cm flux

A range of analysis approaches,namely continuous wavelet,cross wavelet,and wavelet coherence analyses,are employed to clarify the phase relationship between the smoothed monthly mean sunspot number and solar 10.7 cm flux(F10.7).Analysis shows that there is a region of high spectral power sitting across the Schwabe cycle belt,where the two time series are in phase.However,analysis of the cross-wavelet transform and wavelet coherence unveils asynchronous behavior featured with phase mixing in the high-frequency components of sunspot activity and solar F10.7,which may explain the different activity properties of the photosphere and corona on a short time scale.     

Accumulation in Dasuopu ice core in Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and solar activity

The time series of accumulation in recent 300 years correlated well with solar activity in Dasuopu ice core. Results of spectrum analysis on the accumulation time series of the Dasuopu ice core shows that there are some periods that coincide with the periods of solar activity. By comparing the long-time change trend of the accumulation in the Dasuopu ice core with various kinds of indexes of solar activity intensity, a negative correlation is found between the trend and solar activity.     

Decadal-centennial-scale change in Asian-Pacific summer thermal contrast and solar activity

To study the temporally varying features of summer thermal contrast between the Asian continent and the adjacent ocean on decadal-centennial time scales and the links between thermal contrast and solar irradiance, we used a time series of the reconstructed Asian-Pacific oscillation index and solar irradiance over the past millennium. The results showed that thermal contrast in the Asian monsoon region has quasi-90-year, 10?C13-year, and 3?C7-year periods. On the centennial time scale, thermal contrast showed three abrupt changes, occurring in 1305?C1315, 1420?C1430, and 1625?C1635. There is a significant positive correlation between thermal contrast and solar irradiance, which is particularly strong at 250-year, 120?C160-year, 60?C70-year, and quasi-15-year periods. The three abrupt changes in thermal contrast corresponded to a significantly weakening or strengthening of solar irradiance, lagging 12?C22 years behind the solar irradiance, which possibly reflects an effect of solar irradiance on the abrupt change in Asian monsoon climate on the centennial time scale. On the decadal time scale, the abrupt change in the thermal contrast was not closely associated with solar irradiance, which implies that solar activity may not be a major factor affecting the decadal abrupt change in Asian-Pacific thermal contrast. Relative to thermal contrast, the decadal abrupt change in Northern Hemispheric annual mean surface temperature is more closely associated with solar activity, while its centennial abrupt change has a weaker relationship with solar activity.     

米兰柯维奇冰期理论的新生与发展

1930年,米兰柯维奇通过计算由于地球轨道参数(偏心率、倾斜度、岁差)的变化所引起的太阳辐射变化,提出了第四纪冰期交替的天文学理论。他论文的发表,使他获得极大的荣誉,但是后来也有各种评论和非议。近年来,由于Hays等(1976)的古气候序列分析,这个理论又重新受到重视。因而许多气候学家使用气候模式进一步研究,发现在古气候记录与轨道参数变化之间具有显著关系;所以他们倾向于这种观点,即天文学引起的太阳辐射变化量,在反馈机制情况下,足以引起显著的气候响应。     

A signature of cosmic-ray increase in AD 774-775 from tree rings in Japan

Increases in (14)C concentrations in tree rings could be attributed to cosmic-ray events, as have increases in (10)Be and nitrate in ice cores. The record of the past 3,000 years in the IntCal09 data set, which is a time series at 5-year intervals describing the (14)C content of trees over a period of approximately 10,000 years, shows three periods during which (14)C increased at a rate greater than 3‰ over 10 years. Two of these periods have been measured at high time resolution, but neither showed increases on a timescale of about 1 year (refs 11 and 12). Here we report (14)C measurements in annual rings of Japanese cedar trees from ad 750 to ad 820 (the remaining period), with 1- and 2-year resolution. We find a rapid increase of about 12‰ in the (14)C content from ad 774 to 775, which is about 20 times larger than the change attributed to ordinary solar modulation. When averaged over 10 years, the data are consistent with the decadal IntCal (14)C data from North American and European trees. We argue that neither a solar flare nor a local supernova is likely to have been responsible.     

110年来太阳黑子活动与南方低温冰冻灾害关系探析——以广东粤北地区为例

以2008年广东低温雨雪冰冻灾害天气及其影响为研究切入点,本文根据史料和气象资料分析了110年来广东地区出现的10次低温雨雪天气及灾害情况,认为太阳黑子活动与冰灾的产生有一定的相关关系.研究发现广东冰灾多出现在太阳活动谷年及其附近;冰灾与太阳黑子活动11年和22年的周期有相关性;太阳黑子活动谷年前后,则广东冰灾发生的机率会更高.     

Amplitudes, rates, periodicities and causes of temperature variations in the past 2485 years and future trends over the central-eastern Tibetan Plateau

Amplitudes, rates, periodicities, causes and future trends of temperature variations based on tree rings for the past 2485 years on the central-eastern Tibetan Plateau were analyzed. The results showed that extreme climatic events on the Plateau, such as the Medieval Warm Period, Little Ice Age and 20th Century Warming appeared synchronously with those in other places worldwide. The largest amplitude and rate of temperature change occurred during the Eastern Jin Event (343?C425 AD), and not in the late 20th century. There were significant cycles of 1324 a, 800 a, 199 a, 110 a and 2?C3 a in the 2485-year temperature series. The 1324 a, 800 a, 199 a and 110 a cycles are associated with solar activity, which greatly affects the Earth surface temperature. The long-term trends (>1000 a) of temperature were controlled by the millennium-scale cycle, and amplitudes were dominated by multi-century cycles. Moreover, cold intervals corresponded to sunspot minimums. The prediction indicated that the temperature will decrease in the future until to 2068 AD and then increase again.     

Temperature variations in the past 6000 years inferred from δ18O of peat cellulose from Hongyuan, China

Trends of the temperature variations recorded in δ18O in Hongyuan peat cellulose are similar to those recorded in δ 18O of Jinchuan peat cellulose and inδ18O of Dunde ice core. Climate events have been identified to be globallyhomogeneous. Two notable climate transition periods have been detected in the past 6000 years, namely 4000 aBP with climate shifting from cold to warm and 1500aBP with climate shifting from warm to relatively cold. Power spectrum analysiswas performed to investigate the periodical signals in the δ18O time series. Typical periodicities of 1200-1087 a, 752 a, 444 a, 325 a, 213 a, 127-123 a, 88a, 79 a were discovered, indicating an integrated influence on Hongyuan climatefrom solar, monsoon and ocean activities. Solar forcing has been addressed to be the main driving forcing of Hongyuan climate.     

The nature of the solar activity during the Maunder Minimum revealed by the Guliya ice core record

Whether the solar activity was very low, and especially whether the solar cycle existed, during the Maunder Minimum (1645–1715 AD), have been disputed for a long time. In this paper we use the Guliya NO₃ ⁻ data, which can reflect the solar activity, to analyze the characteristics of the solar activity during the Maunder Minimum. The results show that the solar activity was indeed low, and solar cycle displayed normal as present, i.e. about 11a, in that period. Moreover, it was found that the solar activity contains a 36-year periodic component probably, which might be related to the variations in the length of the sunspot cycle. This finding is of importance for the study of the relationship between the sun variability and the Earth climate change.     

第23周太阳活动不对性分析

运用了二个太阳活动指数,即太阳黑子群数和黑子面积来分析第23周太阳活动的不对称性,文中引进了一个新概念“累计的不对称性”来描述太阳活动的不对称性分布,进一步通过计算两个半球上太阳活动指数的实际概率说明了太阳活动的不对称性。结果显示：（1）在第23周开始的前6年左右,太阳活动存在微弱的不对称性;（2）不同太阳活动现象或指数的不对称性,并不发生在同一活动周的同一时期。     

用数字信号处理方法分析太阳黑子活动的周期性

太阳黑子数是描述太阳活动水平的主要指标,太阳活动直接影响人类健康和人类赖以生存的环境—地球;依据数字信号处理原理,采用多种处理方法,分析处理了1770-1869年的太阳黑子数年均值;得出了太阳黑子存在11-12年周期的结论.结果表明该方法对研究太阳活动规律乃至天体规律是有效的.