Also, I've come across another interesting link that may relate to this topic.
You good folks are probably already aware of the Northern Lights which come and go in an 11 year cycle and which have long been tied to the strength of the solar wind (which, along with sunspot activity and solar flux, is an indicator of "glowball warmth").
Now, for years spacecraft have occasionally encountered the pounding the solar winds bestow on Earth's magnetic fields but they haven't been able to quality it.
However, last May 20th the themis satellites (
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4158/is_20071213/ai_n21154545 ) may have answered the 64 thousand dollar question (including the ability to calculate the energy involved).
"The satellites have found evidence of magnetic ropes connecting the Earth's upper atmosphere directly to the Sun. We believe that solar wind particles flow in along these ropes, providing energy for geomagnetic storms and auroras," Dr Sibeck said.
The magnetic rope is formed from a twisted bundle of magnetic fields organised much like the twisted hemp of a mariner's rope. Although spacecraft have detected these invisible ropes before, it was the five micro satellites of Themis that allowed scientists to visualise their three-dimensional structure.
"Themis encountered its first magnetic rope on 20 May. It was very large, about as wide as the Earth, and located approximately 40,000 miles above Earth's surface in a region called the magnetopause," Dr Sibeck said.
Read more at the above (sadly, non-functioning) link.
Can anyone clue me in to why my links don't work when I use HTML?
Now, since our magnetic bubble protects us from the solar winds I'm not going to sit here and tell you that all this energy is absorbed as heat into our environment; however, the presence of a non-irradiant means of transferring energy to the Earth may have significance and enable us to refine our notions about the relative importance of sun-sourced heating and Earth based heat retention.
Also, I'm curious about is that, now that we have gained a better understanding of other-than-irradiance means for Sol to heat things up, how will this affect our views about the two other planets that usually get brought up in GW debates? Interestingly, both Mars and Venus lack a strong magnetic field like Earth's so it may be possible that they are more directly affected by the solar wind which we are partly shielded from.
You will remember reports that Mars (inner solar system) along with various outer solar system bodies have been heating up and the sun is the obvious commonality. Now, if we were to assume that data often takes time to get into the public awareness it is possible that these reports are based on data several years old. I do recall people trying to dismiss these observations on the basis that the heating seemed different than expected (based on known Total Solar Irradiance?); however, if there is a significant secondary solar source this may prove problematic for those who want to discuss other global warmings in terms apart from the sun.
Mars: http://www-ssc.igpp.ucla.edu/personnel/russell/papers/mars_mag/
Venus: http://www-ssc.igpp.ucla.edu/personnel/russell/papers/venus_mag/