Flux changes in small magnetic regions

High spatial and temporal resolution observations of continuum, velocity, and magnetic fields in active regions of the sun have been obtained which reveal rapid changes in the total magnetic flux associated with surface magnetic features. Attention is given to two cases. In the first, during February 1980, the total positive flux associated with a magnetic feature increased by about 50 percent in about 90 min without observable negative flux change. The topology of the feature developed from a single intense core to one exhibiting several discrete cores, all of like polarity. The second case, during July 1981, involved large fluctuations in the flux associated with a small negative feature over 20-min time intervals. Calculations of the correlation between velocity gradients and magnetic field gradients show values in the 0.4-0.7 range at times of good seeing, reaching a peak when the flux is greatest.