Abstract | We report on work published in the 26 June 2020 issue of Science magazine. We analysed GONG,
MDI and HMI helioseismic data to infer the (mass-conserving) meridional flow in the solar convection
zone. The GONG and MDI solutions averaged over 1996-2019 are consistent with a single-cell solution
in each hemisphere. Implications for the solar dynamo are discussed using a simplified flux-transport
model. We find that the observed return flow at the base of the convection zone may explain the drift
of latitudes at which sunspots emerge during the solar cycle. |