Parametric and Non-Parametric Spectral Signal Processing Techniques for Estimation of Periodicity in Sunspot Numbers

: Sunspots occur due to magnetic disturbances on the surface of the sun. The sunspot activity effects weather on earth and also affect the earth temperature. In this research paper, various spectral estimation techniques for estimation of universal cyclic behavior of sunspot numbers are discussed. Spectral analysis has been based on two different approaches, namely parametric and non-parametric estimation. The performance of various parametric and non-parametric spectral estimation methods has been compared and frequency of occurrence of sunspots is calculated. MATLAB computer simulations have been extensively used for various estimator settings to arrive at correct results. The results show that the parametric spectral estimation techniques show better and consistent performance as compared to non-parametric spectral estimation techniques. (author)