A new interpretation of . . .

We define the solar cycle as a spatiotemporal rather than a purely temporal entity. This allows us to introduce new methods to determine timing parameters of the activity cycles. We discuss the physical interpretation of our spatiotemporal definition as a pair of activity waves travelling towards the equator and pole respectively, and present results of the corresponding statistical analysis. Three important trends of solar activity which are clearly seen in summary statistics can be used for prediction. We present evidence of a long term cycle of 90 years manifesting as a modulation of both length and symmetry of the Schwabe cycle and identify this with the Gleissberg cycle