Coronal Composition above the Solar Equator and the North Pole as Determined from Spectra Acquired by the SUMER Instrument on<i>SOHO</i>

Abstract

Using spectra obtained by the SUMER instrument on the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) we have determined the composition of the bulk of the coronal plasma in the vicinity of the solar surface over a polar coronal hole and an equatorial region. Our measurements show that although low first ionization potential (FIP) elements are enriched by about a factor of 4 in the corona above the quiet equatorial region, little or no enrichment exists above the north polar coronal hole. These observations are in good agreement with the Ulysses in situ observations in both fast speed and slow speed winds.