LATITUDE DEPENDENCE OF MAGNETIC FIELD-LINE INCLINATIONS

It is shown that leading and following magnetic field lines are inclin ed toward each other by a few degrees at nearly all latitudes in both the north and south hemispheres. The amplitudes of these inclinations are lower by about a factor 3 for weak fields than for strong fields. There are significant differences between the hemispheres and from one activity cycle to the next in the leading and following polarity fiel d-line inclinations at latitudes poleward of the activity latitudes. I n a narrow latitude zone just south of the solar equator the inclinati ons of both the leading and following fields reduce to zero (or perhap s slightly negative values). Although one would expect such a zone at the equator, where diffusion will mix field lines with opposite inclin ations from the two hemispheres, it is not clear why this zone should be on one side of the equator only. The results discussed here were ob tained with Mount Wilson magnetograph data (1967-1992), and are confir med in many respects with National Solar Observatory/Kitt Peak (NSO/KP ) data (1976-1986).