Does magnetic flux submerge at flux cancelation sites?

Simultaneous measurements of the magnetic fields in the photosphere and chr omosphere were used to investigate if magnetic flux is submerging at sites between adjacent opposite polarity magnetic network elements in which the f lux is observed to decrease or 'cancel'. These data were compared with chro mospheric and coronal intensity images to establish the timing of the emiss ion structures associated with these magnetic structures as a function of h eight. We found that most of the cancelation sites show either that the bip ole is observed longer in the photosphere than in the chromosphere and coro na (44%) or that the timing difference of the disappearance of the bipole b etween these levels of the atmosphere is unresolved. The magnetic axis leng ths of the structures associated with the cancelation sites are on average slightly smaller in the chromosphere than the photosphere. These observatio ns suggest that magnetic flux is retracting below the surface for most, if not all, of the cancelation sites studied.