Posted on 10/13/2006 4:43:44 PM PDT by neverdem
A new study provides experimental evidence that cosmic rays may be a major factor in causing the Earth’s climate to change.
Given the stakes in the current debate over global warming, the research may very well turn out to be one of the most important climate experiments of our time – if only the media would report the story.
Ten years ago, Danish researchers Henrik Svensmark and Eigil Friis-Christensen first hypothesized that cosmic rays from space influence the Earth’s climate by effecting cloud formation in the lower atmosphere. Their hypothesis was based on a strong correlation between levels of cosmic radiation and cloud cover – that is, the greater the cosmic radiation, the greater the cloud cover. Clouds cool the Earth’s climate by reflecting about 20 percent of incoming solar radiation back into space.
The hypothesis was potentially significant because during the 20th century, the influx of cosmic rays was reduced by a doubling of the sun’s magnetic field which shields the Earth from cosmic rays. According to the hypothesis, then, less cosmic radiation would mean less cloud formation and, ultimately, warmer temperatures – precisely what was observed during the 20th century.
If correct, the Svensmark hypothesis poses a serious challenge to the current global warming alarmism that attributes the 20th century’s warmer temperatures to manmade emissions of greenhouse gases.
Just last week, Svensmark and other researchers from the Centre for Sun-Climate Research at the Danish National Space Centre published a paper in the Proceedings of the Royal Society A – the mathematical, physical sciences and engineering journal of the venerable Royal Society of London – announcing that they had experimentally verified the physical mechanism by which cosmic rays affect cloud cover.
In the experiment, cosmic radiation was passed through a large reaction chamber containing a mixture of lower atmospheric...
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
Study Links Extinction Cycles to Changes in Earth’s Orbit and Tilt (Not man made global warming?)
later!
I wouldn't bring up the subject of "Global Warming" to anyone from Buffalo right now. You could end up being beaten to death with tire chains and snow shovels.
Chicago and Detroit both had their earliest recorded snowfall yesterday. The Tigers A's playoff game was even played early due to the cold. (1 more win and the Tigers go to the world series)
Practice what you preach - Reid's Land Deal
Kim Jong-il’s Suicide Watch very interesting
From time to time, I’ll ping on noteworthy articles about politics, foreign and military affairs. FReepmail me if you want on or off my list.
Wow, the Wilson Cloud Chamber actually works!
Science bump.
You might see this hidden on page A24 if it is published at all in the MSM.
Thanks for the link.
Man-made air pollution? Definitely. So let's focus on cleaning up the air. Man-made climate change and global warming? Minuscule at best. But these facts are hard for liberals to swallow.
So, does this mean Rove has perfected his cosmic ray machine?
Goes double up here in Northern Michigan!
Let's chip in and buy Al Gore a ticket. He can start his Global Warming Denial Nuremburg TrialsTM there.
Cheers!
Thanks for the ping!
Anyone who would think that one weather event is a sign for or against global warming is completely uninformed.
Moreover, CLIMATE CHANGE actually will cause greater weather extremes. The early snow fall is more likely to be a sign of CLIMATE CHANGE than the opposite.
ERF - Agree, one event means very little in the whole plate of data search (and destroy), proxies and derivative proxies. I believe folks here are merely moking those who have been over reaching on many recent weather factoids.
However the claim that climate change will bring weather extremes (on both the hot and cold) ends interests me. What are the priniciple(s) that drive that conclusion? My understanding is that modeling machines for Global Warming show the greatest impact in MODERATING the temperatures at the poles.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.