Solar Cycle Variations of Sunspot Magnetic Field Strengths from the Mount Wilson Observatory

We used historical synoptic data the Mount Wilson Observatory (MWO) to study long-term changes in sunspot magnetic field strengths over the period of 1920-1959. By selecting sunspots with the strongest field strength for each observing day, we find that the average field strengths in sunspots vary with solar cycle with amplitude of a few hundred Gauss. The data show no statistically significant long-term trend over the period of about 40 years covered by these observations. We also find that the fractional distribution of sunspots changes from cycle to cycle. From Cycle 15 to Cycle 19, MWO data show a steady increase in fraction of sunspots with weaker field strengths (<1000 G), while the fraction of sunspots with strongest field strengths (>3000 G) steadily decreases. The fraction of sunspots with field strengths between 1000-3000 Gauss does not change in any systematic way. In contract, the fractional distribution of sunspots by their area (i.e., small, intermediate, and large) taken from the Greenwich observatory data set does not change during the same period of time. The different behavior in these two fractional distributions might indicate some physical changes in the properties of sunspots (e.g., sunspots of about the same area show progressively smaller field strengths), or it could be the result of some systematic instrumental/observational effects. We discuss our findings in the framework of these two possible explanations.