climate change and the solar cycle.
February 28th, 2008 admin
for my class discussion, i selected the topic of the solar cycle and its effect on global climate change. although there is significant support for the greenhouse effect, few are informed of the alternative theories which can also explain our changing terrestrial climate.
in this discussion i first introduced the solar cycle in order to explain the various states of our sun (solar maximum, solar minimum). these states essentially describe the the magnetic activity of the sun due to internal solar flows. solar maximum is commonly known as it is at this state where one is able to identify ’sun spots’ on the solar surface. these dark spots represent regions of heightened magnetic activity and are characteristically cooler then the surrounding areas. the cooler temperate of these regions explains the formation of ’spots’ on the solar surface.
the theory which links the solar cycle to global climate change is based upon the fact that at solar maximum (where the sun is at maximum magnetic activity) the earth is shielded from cosmic radiation that is able to penetrate within our atmosphere. cosmic radiation is hypothesized to have the ability to ionize water particles in the troposphere increasing the occurrence of cloud formation. to clarify, high solar magnetism prevents cosmic radiation from entering the atmosphere reducing cloud formation where as periods of low solar magnetism are conducive to increased levels of cosmic radiation within the atmosphere leading to an increase in cloud formation. water vapor is the most abundant greenhouse gas found within our atmosphere, and one can not deny the sticking link that does present itself between the solar cycle and changes in global climate.
please refer to the links below for additional information regarding this issue.
Influence of Cosmic Rays on Earth’s Climate. Henrik Svensmark
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