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Science 24 June 1988:
Vol. 240. no. 4860, p. 1765
DOI: 10.1126/science.240.4860.1765
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Articles

Spectrum Line Intensity as a Surrogate for Solar Irradiance Variations

W. C. Livingston 1, L. Wallace 2, and O. R. White 3

1 National Optical Astronomy Observatiories, National Solar Observatory, P.O. Box 26732, Tucson, AZ 85726
2 National Optical Astronomy Observatiories, Kitt Peak National Observatory, P.O. Box 26732, Tucson, AZ 85726
3 Lazy FW Ranch, 7590 County Road 39, Mancos, CO 83128

Active Cavity Radiometer Irradiance Monitor (ACRIM) solar constant measurements from 1980 to 1986 are compared with ground-based, irradiance spectrophotometry of selected Fraunhofer lines. Both data sets were identically sampled and smoothed with an 85-day running mean, and the ACRIM total solar irradiance (S) values were corrected for sunspot blocking (Sc). The strength of the mid-photospheric manganese 539.4-nanometer line tracks almost perfectly with ACRIM Se, Other spectral features formed high in the photosphere and chromosphere also track well. These comparisons independently confirm the variability in the ACRIM Se, signal, indicate that the source of irradiance is faculae, and indicate that ACRIM Se, follows the 11-year activity cycle.


THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES:
An Empirical Model of Total Solar Irradiance Variation Between 1874 and 1988.
P. Foukal and J. Lean (1990)
Science 247, 556-558
   Abstract »    PDF »
Contribution of Ultraviolet Irradiance Variations to Changes in the Sun's Total Irradiance.
J. LEAN (1989)
Science 244, 197-200
   Abstract »    PDF »


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Science. ISSN 0036-8075 (print), 1095-9203 (online)