Coronal Hole Sources of Solar Wind Over ~Three Solar Activity Cycles

Details Coronal Hole Sources of Solar Wind Over ~Three Solar Activity Cycles Coronal Hole Sources of Solar Wind Over ~Three Solar Activity Cycles

May 2001

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2001agusm..sh51a09l&link_type=abstract

American Geophysical Union, Spring Meeting 2001, abstract #SH51A-09

Physics

2162 Solar Cycle Variations (7536)

Scientific paper

Levine (Solar Physics v.79, 1982) was one of the first to use potential field source surface models of the coronal magnetic field, based on photospheric field observations, to infer the origins of the solar wind outflows reaching the ecliptic. Here we adopt and extend that approach to the last \sim three solar cycles using the long archive of Mt. Wilson Observatory full-disk magnetograms. By tracing coronal field lines from within 20 degrees north and south of the source surface equator (at 2.5 Rs) to the Sun, we allow for variations due to the solar rotation axis tilt with respect to ecliptic north, and the still uncertain effects of the coronal/heliospheric currents on the divergence of coronal hole field lines. The results illustrate the modification of the polar hole source of near-ecliptic solar wind by the appearance of mid-latitude active regions in the rising phase of the solar cycle. As additional active regions emerge, midlatitude coronal holes associated with them rather abruptly take over as the dominant source through the solar maximum. While this result is not surprising, the long MWO record and continuous model display provide illuminating visualizations of coronal hole sources of the solar wind experienced by the planets through the solar cycle. Credence is lent to the results by favorable comparisons between average low heliolatitude magnetic field and solar wind velocity inferred from the source surface model and the Wang and Sheeley (Ap.J. v.355, 1990) approach, respectively, and observations near the earth. The alternate dominance of polar hole and active region sources, giving rise to differently phased interplanetary field and velocity cycles, explains how some trends in space weather are related to the solar magnetic cycle.

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