Multiscale Periodic Variations of Solar Active Regions during the Time Interval 1996–2023

Abstract Solar active regions are believed to provide significant information on the mutual conversion of the poloidal and toroidal components of the global magnetic field. However, the multiscale periodic variations, in particular the quasi-biennial oscillations (QBOs), of solar active regions are not fully understood. In the present study, the flux, area, and number of solar active regions, as well as the sunspot number data in the period from 1996 May to 2023 November, are studied in detail. The multiscale periodic components in the above four data sets are investigated by the techniques of ensemble empirical mode decomposition and cross-correlation analysis. The main results are as follows. (1) The four data sets exhibit similar periodic components, including the 11 yr Schwabe cycle, the QBOs, and a Rieger-type period. (2) The multiscale periodicity of solar active regions shows different physical characteristics. Under different periodic scales, the highest correlation is between active region flux and area, indicating that active region flux and area better reflect the evolution of active regions. (3) By superimposing the QBOs on the 11 yr Schwabe cycle, the Gnevyshev gap phenomenon was clearly observed, implying that the Gnevyshev gap may be caused by the modulation of the 11 yr Schwabe cycle. (4) The active region flux in both hemispheres shows similar periodic components to the full disk, but the periodic variations are uneven between the northern and southern hemispheres. The results of our analysis could be beneficial for the understanding of the spatiotemporal distribution of solar active regions, and could also provide statistical constraints on solar dynamo theories.