Finland is already on record with having the coolest spring in 50 years and the coolest June period in 10.
The solar minimum also has an effect on Earth’s upper atmosphere and satellites in low Earth orbit, as there is less ultraviolet radiation from the sun. The number of galactic cosmic rays that reach the upper atmosphere also increases as the sun’s magnetic field is weaker, meaning it provides less of a shield from them.
Take this and place it alongside Henrik Svensmark’s (proven) theory of cosmic rays seeding the lower atmosphere with cloud cover, and GW takes a major slam in the schnoz.
SOLAR MINIMUM: THE SUN IS GETTING QUIETER AND IS DISPLAYING SOME VERY WEIRD BEHAVIOR
The sun is about to enter a period of quiet, known as a solar minimum. This cycle happens every 11 years and is characterized of decreased activity—when sunspots fade away and produce fewer solar flares. With this latest period of inactivity approaching, scientists have been monitoring the sun to better understand some of the unusual activity observed over recent years.
In a study published in May the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, a team of scientists from the U.S., U.K. and Denmark analyzed 31 years’ worth of data from the Birmingham Solar Oscillations Network (BiSON)—a group of six ground-based telescopes that provide constant monitoring of the sun’s oscillations. In the study, Yvonne Elsworth and colleagues studied the sound waves from the sun over the last three solar minimums to see how they have changed during different periods of activity. Elsworth will present the findings at the National Astronomy Meeting at the University of Hull, U.K., on Tuesday.
“The sun is very much like a musical instrument except that its typical notes are at a very low frequency—some 100,000 times lower than middle C,” she said in a statement. “Studying these sound waves, using a technique called helioseismology, enables us to find out what’s going on throughout the Sun’s interior.”
