Posted on 12/02/2009 3:11:26 AM PST by PreciousLiberty
The sun is in the pits of a very deep solar minimum. Many researchers thought the sunspot cycle had hit bottom in 2008 when the sun was blank 73% of the time. Not so. 2009 is on the verge of going even lower. So far this year, the sun has been blank 75% of the time, and only a serious outbreak of sunspots over the next few weeks will prevent 2009 from becoming the quietest year in a century.
(Excerpt) Read more at spaceweather.com ...
I don't believe the effects are direct, or immediate. You have to look at long-term trends. This long, deep solar minimum is part of a long term trend. From the link:
A 50-year low in solar wind pressure: Measurements by the Ulysses spacecraft reveal a 20% drop in solar wind pressure since the mid-1990s—the lowest point since such measurements began in the 1960s.
Ehh, you can skip the article. The current cycle 24 sunspots, what few there are, occur in the correct latitude and magnetic polarity for cycle 24, hence they are "Cycle 24" sunspots. Now, 18 months ago someone could have postulated that the continuing cycle 23 sunspots occuring beyond the expected end of cycle 23 were actually cycle 25 sunspots due to the unusually long length of cycle 23. Although cycle 23 was long it was not the longest cycle on record, therefore I see no reason to deduce a 'jump' to cycle 25, particularly since cycle 23 magnetic polarity sunspots have been absent since last summer.
It wasn't just in the Northeast. Same here in the Chi Metro Area.
2009 was 'The Year Without A Summer'.
And that's not just old global warming denier me. Monday night at the company Christmas dinner party the wife works for, everyone said the same, 'Where was summer'?
And one observation I've been making the last few Springs - the Robins are arriving later and later.
Low solar flux = lower temperatures on earth. No duh.
Does this mean that when the sunspot number goes up again there will be a warming effect on Earth?
“Does this mean that when the sunspot number goes up again there will be a warming effect on Earth?”
Most likely, although there’s a lag due to thermal mass. Also, Cycle 24 is forecast to be longer and weaker than Cycle 23, meaning there will at least a fifteen-twenty year overall cooling trend as far as solar influence goes, based on what I gather.
If the “sunspots vanish” as indicated in the article I linked above, all bets are off and we’re probably looking at an extended period of sharply lower solar influence.
It’s snowing in Dallas today...
I don’t know why anyone is concerned.
CRU and Al Gore have been telling us it only gets warmer from here. The Sun doesn’t have an impact on Global Warming.
Well, you believe them, don’t you?
I propose we call this portion of the solar-cycle the “Gore-Minimum”.
If I recall correctly, the theory is that cosmic rays interact with the atmosphere and aid in cloud formation.
When the sunspot activity is higher, the solar wind is also higher.
This increase in solar wind pushes away more cosmic rays, so that there are fewer clouds.
Liberals/Socialists, at best, are extraordinarily stupid.
The winters have been milder here in the northeast as well. OTOH, we hear reports of more extreme winter weather in Europe over the past several years.
Yup. And 4 days ago I was in shorts.
And 4 days ago, I got mildly sunburned at the Coppell-Arlington game. I wore a sweatshirt, but it was a bit warm for that. The steady breeze kept things comfortable.
The Coppell-Arlington game was a heartbreaker for us. Coppell spotted them a 21-0 lead, and it was 21-3 at half. The boys fought back, taking a 29-28 lead with 3:30 remaining. To their credit, and with timely assistance from a striped shirt, they scored on a field goal as time expired.
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Ah, but you are all missing the point, you heretics....uh....I mean, “Sceptics.” Yes the sun is cooler, but without the man-made global warming it would actually be MUCH MUCH colder on earth! See, I have this computer model I created that proves it! /s/
I love Texas!
I like to think that God doesn't like Al Gore starting a new religion.
SOLAR MINIMUM (Global Cooling Alert)
Bush’s fault?
Too many SUVs?
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