Sunspots reaching 1,000-year high...
...and temperatures are up. Coincidence?
BBC:
BBC:
They say that over the last century the number of sunspots rose at the same time that the Earth's climate became steadily warmer.The sun plays a huge role in the climate here on Earth, and from what I've read, accounts for a lot of climate variation.
This trend is being amplified by gases from fossil fuel burning, they argue.. . .In particular, it has been noted that between about 1645 and 1715, few sunspots were seen on the Sun's surface.
This period is called the Maunder Minimum after the English astronomer who studied it.
It coincided with a spell of prolonged cold weather often referred to as the "Little Ice Age". Solar scientists strongly suspect there is a link between the two events - but the exact mechanism remains elusive.. . .But the most striking feature, he says, is that looking at the past 1,150 years the Sun has never been as active as it has been during the past 60 years.
Over the past few hundred years, there has been a steady increase in the numbers of sunspots, a trend that has accelerated in the past century, just at the time when the Earth has been getting warmer.
Labels: Climate Change
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