Sun Spot Cycles

Sun Spot Cycles Impact on Crop Yields, Energy Use and Weather Patterns

So we are approaching another Ice Age around 2012?


“Solar activity data appears to indicate that over the last century the number of sunspots rose in number and intensity. At the same time that the Earth’s climate became steadily warmer. In theory, the more sunspots the more energy should reach the earth. Some experts argue that greenhouse gasses have enhanced the warming effect, others argue greenhouse gasses have had a minor impact. None-the-less solar activity and temperature appear to correlate. Although the relationship between causation and correlation is an issue, global temperatures over the last 60 years have been very warm compared to historical norms. Donald Coxe pointed out that we are at the low-point of the 11 year solar cycle (see chart above) – at the end of solar cycle 23 and at the start of solar cycle 24. Sunspot activity was expected to pick up significantly the last few months, with experts concerned about the impact of the powerful bursts of radiation on satellites, the electrical grid, and telecommunications systems. These historical periods of solar inactivity – dubbed the Maunder Minimum and Dalton Minimum after the astrologists who studied them - coincided with an irregular periods of rapid climate shifts. The climate cycles brought intensely cold winters, although periodically intense summer heat waves would also appear. The Maunder cycle is often referred to as the “Little Ice Age” – but climate experts claim the period is punctuated by both cold weather and rapid climate shifts. These periods of low solar activity were also periods of sustained weather driven crop failures. Coxe notes that solar scientists strongly suspect there is a link between the Maunder and Dalton Minimums and the cold weather - but the exact mechanism remains elusive. The ‘sunspot gap’ from 1645 to 1715 – corresponding with the Little Ice Age.” - Source