Solar Activity At Almost Century Long Low

Thankfully this has not impact on the temperature here on Earth.

There were no sunspots observed on 266 of the year's 366 days (73%). To find a year with more blank suns, you have to go all the way back to 1913, which had 311 spotless days: plot. Prompted by these numbers, some observers suggested that the solar cycle had hit bottom in 2008.

Maybe not. Sunspot counts for 2009 have dropped even lower. As of March 31st, there were no sunspots on 78 of the year's 90 days (87%).

It adds up to one inescapable conclusion: "We're experiencing a very deep solar minimum," says solar physicist Dean Pesnell of the Goddard Space Flight Center.

"This is the quietest sun we've seen in almost a century," agrees sunspot expert David Hathaway of the Marshall Space Flight Center.

Clearly now is the time to regulate the economy through a carbon cap and trade system in an effort to offset, um something (freedom and prosperity mostly).

Graph It, Baby [ace]: Some time back Retired Geezer/Man of Substance pointed out this post debunking global warming.

Now, does anyone notice in that graph Drew posted that sunspot activity is oddly congruent with late nineties warming followed by cooling throughout the 2000s?

Look at this chart. Which does warming seem to track with more closely -- solar activity (or inactivity) or rising or falling CO2 ("The Invisible Assassin") levels?

I have to quote the commenter again who wrote this (sorry, I forget which wisenheimer it was):

If only there were some... natural explanation for falling and rising temperatures.

Such a hypothetical source of warming would have to be massive, however. On the order of magnitude of our own Sun.

And in Obama's presser, he just said:

if china/india citizens used same energy average america does, "we'd all be melting by now"

Right.

Quote thanks to AHFF Geoff.

posted by DrewM. at 01:12 PM

| Access Comments