The Sun
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The Active Sun - de Jager
This presentation by professor Kees DeJager, translated into English by Albert Jacobs, shows how solar convection currents, magnetic fields and sunspots are related. It shows the evolution of sunspots and the transitions between grand episodes of strong and weak solar cycles.
Natural Forces of a Changing Climate
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There are many studies that show a high degree of correlation between solar magnetic activity and temperatures. Albert Jacobs reviews recent research that looks for the mechanisms by which solar forces affect climate. The large planets cause gravitational tugs on the Sun resulting in solar cycles that may have caused the Little Ice Age. An experiment at the nuclear facility CERN confirms that cosmic rays, modulated by the Sun, can affect cloud cover. The earth's length of day varies with solar activity, implying the Sun changes wind patterns. It has also been suggested that it influences the pattern of the Pacific Decadal Oscillation, which controls weather through the El Niño/La Niña system.
A Stellar Revision of the Story of Life
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Dr. Henrik Svensmark's paper “Evidence of nearby supernovae affecting life on Earth” published by the Royal Astronomical Society shows how the variable frequency of stellar explosions not far from our planet has ruled over the changing fortunes of living things throughout the past half billion years. Exploding stars called supernovae release high-energy charged particles known as galactic cosmic rays which have a direct impact on Earth's climate. Nigel Calder summarizes the finding in this article. The long-term productivity of life in the sea depends on the supernova rate. Climate and life control CO2, not the other way around.
Solar Activity and Svalbard Temperatures
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This paper compares the long temperature record at Svalbard, Norway to solar activity. The length of the solar cycle is strongly negatively correlated with the Svalbard temperatures with a time lag of 10 to 12 years. The data "show that 60% of the annual and winter temperature variations are explained by solar activity." The authors predict the Svalbard temperatures to decrease from 2009 to 2020 by 3.5 C.
Contribution of Cosmic Ray Flux to Global Warming
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This paper by Dr. U.R. Rao shows that galactic cosmic rays, using 10Be measurements in deep polar ice as the proxy, has decreased by 9% during the last 150 years. The decrease in cosmic rays cause a 2.0% decrease in low cloud cover resulting in a radiative forcing of 1.1 W/m2, which is about 60% of that due to the CO2 increase during the same period.
