Seasonal variation and magnitude of the solar sector structure–atmospheric vorticity effect

Abstract

A RELATIONSHIP between the solar sector structure, as swept past the Earth by the solar wind, and terrestrial atmospheric vorticity has been reported by Wilcox et al.¹. The solar sector structure is a large scale property of the Sun that is seen most readily in its magnetic field. As observed by spacecraft magnetometers near the Earth, the extended solar magnetic field typically consists of four sectors within a 27-d synodic solar rotation period. Within each sector the magnetic field is predominantly either towards or away from the Sun. The sectors are separated by thin current sheets that reverse the direction of the field and constitute sector boundaries. Here we report evidence of a seasonal variation in this effect.