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arXiv · 2408.10354

Deciphering Solar Magnetic Activity: Some (Unpopular) Thoughts On the Coupling of the Sun's "Weather" and "Climate"

Scott W. McIntosh·Robert J. Leamon
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Abstract

The Sun exhibits episodic surges of magnetic activity across a range of temporal and spatial scales, the most prominent of which is the 11-ish year modulation of sunspot production. Beside the ~170 (min to max) decadal variation in sunspot production there is a less-explored quasi-annual variation in the range of 25-50 sunspots/year in magnitude. In addition, there is there is a slower, ~80 year period, 10-50 variation in the sunspot number, that is commonly referred to as the 'Gleissberg Cycle.' Using a suite of contemporary and historical observations we will illustrate these elements of our star's episodic behavior and present a hypothesis that may provide a consistent physical link between the observed 'climatic', 'decadal' and 'seasonal' magnetic variation of our star.

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Scott W. McIntosh, Robert J. Leamon. 2024-08-19. Deciphering Solar Magnetic Activity: Some (Unpopular) Thoughts On the Coupling of the Sun's "Weather" and "Climate". https://arxiv.org/abs/2408.10354

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