[Previous] | [Session 79] | [Next]

[79.04] Solar Subsurface Weather: Recent Measurements of Flows Using Ring-Diagram Analysis

B.W. Hindman, D.A. Haber, J. Toomre (JILA/University of Colorado), R.S. Bogart (CSSA-HEPL/Stanford University)

Continuous helioseismic observations from SOI-MDI on SOHO have led to a new era of discovery about complex and evolving dynamics within the solar convection zone. Local probing of the Sun's acoustic wave field, using ring-diagram analysis, has revealed the presence of large-scale horizontal flows within the near-surface layers of the Sun. These remarkable weather-like flow patterns, called Solar Subsurface Weather (SSW), possess intricate patterns that change from one day to the next, accompanied by more gradually evolving patterns such as banded zonal flows and meridional circulation cells. Synoptic maps of these flow structures reveal that solar magnetism strongly modulates flow speeds and directions with an effect that varies with depth. I will present out latest measurements of the flows associated with SSW and briefly discuss the implications of these measurements on the redistribution of angular momentum and magnetic fields.

This research has been supported by NASA and NSF.

The author(s) of this abstract have provided an email address for comments about the abstract: hindman@solarz.colorado.edu

[Previous] | [Session 79] | [Next]

Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, 34
© 2002. The American Astronomical Soceity.