http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2011/06/17/are-we-headed-for-a-new-ice-age/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+BadAstronomyBlog+%28Bad+Astronomy%29
On Wed, Jun 15, 2011 at 6:55 PM, Jerry Barnes <[email protected]> wrote: > > Earth may be headed into a mini Ice Age within a decade > > Excerpt: > > What may be the science story of the century is breaking this evening, as > heavyweight US solar physicists announce that the Sun appears to be headed > into a lengthy spell of low activity, which could mean that the Earth far > from facing a global warming problem is actually headed into a mini Ice > Age. > > The Sun normally follows an 11-year cycle of activity. The current cycle, > Cycle 24, is now supposed to be ramping up towards maximum strength. > Increased numbers of sunspots and other indications ought to be happening: > but in fact results so far are most disappointing. Scientists at the NSO now > suspect, based on data showing decades-long trends leading to this point, > that Cycle 25 may not happen at all. > > This could have major implications for the Earth's climate. According to a > statement issued by the NSO, announcing the research: > > An immediate question is whether this slowdown presages a second Maunder > Minimum, a 70-year period with virtually no sunspots [which occurred] during > 1645-1715. > > As NASA notes: > > Early records of sunspots indicate that the Sun went through a period of > inactivity in the late 17th century. Very few sunspots were seen on the Sun > from about 1645 to 1715. Although the observations were not as extensive as > in later years, the Sun was in fact well observed during this time and this > lack of sunspots is well documented. This period of solar inactivity also > corresponds to a climatic period called the "Little Ice Age" when rivers > that are normally ice-free froze and snow fields remained year-round at > lower altitudes. There is evidence that the Sun has had similar periods of > inactivity in the more distant past. > > > > Read more here: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2011/06/14/ice_age/ > > > > Looks like somebody didn't get the memo. > > J > > - > > The Constitution does not grant rights, it recognizes them - Jason Laumark > > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~| Order the Adobe Coldfusion Anthology now! http://www.amazon.com/Adobe-Coldfusion-Anthology/dp/1430272155/?tag=houseoffusion Archive: http://www.houseoffusion.com/groups/cf-community/message.cfm/messageid:338982 Subscription: http://www.houseoffusion.com/groups/cf-community/subscribe.cfm Unsubscribe: http://www.houseoffusion.com/groups/cf-community/unsubscribe.cfm
