Laurent Gizon

NameLaurent Gizon
AffiliationMax Planck Institute for Solar System Research
TitleMeridional flow in the deep convection zone
AuthorsLaurent Gizon
AbstractWe 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.