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The solar convection zone possesses a boundary layer of radial rotational shear near the surface. This near-surface shear layer (NSSL) extends to a depth of about 35 Mm and is characterized by a 5% reduction of the differential rotation rate.  The NSSL filters and possibly creates many of the observed surface and near-surface convection and magnetic flux features.  However, it is not well understood, and its role in the activity cycle is unclear.   We will provide a brief overview of significant puzzles associated with the NSSL and discuss some recent numerical results concerning its formation and thermal properties. We conclude with a discussion of helioseismic techniques that can be used to observe the NSSL and present some recent results.

Speaker Order and Topics:

• Nick Featherstone: Why is the NSSL of interest?
• Loren Matilsky: Convective Maintenance of Differential Rotation in the Sun
• Junwei Zhao: Time-Distance Technique
• Rudi Komm: Big-ring results

Watch the recording.