  The solar meridional flow is an important ingredient in Babcock-Leighton type
models of the solar dynamo. Global variations of this flow have been suggested
to explain the variations in the amplitudes and lengths of the activity cycles.
Recently, cycle-related variations in the amplitude of the $P_2^1$ term in the
Legendre decomposition of the observed meridional flow have been reported. The
result is often interpreted in terms of an overall variation in the flow
amplitude during the activity cycle. Using a semi-empirical model based upon
the observed distribution of magnetic flux on the solar surface, we show that
the reported variations of the $P_2^1$ term can be explained by the observed
localized inflows into the active region belts. No variation of the overall
meridional flow amplitude is required.
