  The aim of the present study is to show the varying asymmetries during the
decay of sunspot groups. The source of input data is the SoHO/MDI-Debrecen
Database (SDD) sunspot catalog that contains the magnetic polarity data for
time interval 1996-2010. Several types of asymmetries were examined on the
selected sample of 142 sunspot groups. The leading-following asymmetry
increases in three phases during the decay and exhibits anticorrelation with
size. It is also related to a hemispheric asymmetry, during the decay the area
asymmetry index has higher values in the southern hemisphere which may be due
to the higher activity level in the southern hemisphere in cycle 23. The total
umbral area is inversely proportional to the umbra/penumbra ratio but it is
directly proportional to the umbral decay rate. During the decay the
umbra/penumbra (U/P) ratio decreases unambiguously in the trailing parts but in
most cases in the leading parts as well. The U/P variation is a consequence of
the different depths of umbral and penumbral fields.
