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| -Signs, Portents, and the Weather- |
| FALLEN ANGELS was just a novel, right? |
| 2018-02-09 |
| h/t Instapundit [NextBigFuture.com] Reduced sunspot activity has been observed and indicates the sun is heading into a 50 year reduced solar activity similar to what happened in the mid-17th century. The cooldown would be the result of what scientists call a grand minimum, a periodic event during which the Sun’s magnetism diminishes, sunspots form infrequently, and less ultraviolet radiation makes it to the surface of the planet. Scientists believe that the event is triggered at irregular intervals by random fluctuations related to the Sun’s magnetic field. Scientists have used reconstructions based on geological and historical data to attribute a cold period in Europe in the mid-17th Century to such an event, named the "Maunder Minimum." Temperatures were low enough to freeze the Thames River on a regular basis and freeze the Baltic Sea to such an extent that a Swedish army was able to invade Denmark in 1658 on foot by marching across the sea ice. |
| Posted by:g(r)omgoru |
| #12 Recall that the last half of the 20th century saw 5 Solar grand maximums in a row. |
| Posted by: G. Threretch3395 2018-02-09 16:26 |
| #11 The Dalton Minimum was a period of low sunspot count, representing low solar activity, named after the English meteorologist John Dalton, lasting from about 1796 to 1820 which corresponds with solar cycle 4 to solar cycle 7. Recall that Napolean decided to invade Russia in 1812 which is right about in the middle. I guess Napoleon didn't own a Farmer's Almanac. |
| Posted by: G. Threretch3395 2018-02-09 16:24 |
| #10 Volcanic activity is the last thing we need. |
| Posted by: KBK 2018-02-09 15:23 |
| #9 A volcano in the Philippines is threatening a major eruption |
| Posted by: Skidmark 2018-02-09 12:06 |
| #8 We'd better start praying for little volcanic activity. |
| Posted by: Clem Kadiddlehopper9000 2018-02-09 10:52 |
| #7 It's better to have "Fallen Angels" than "Footfall" or "Lucifer's Hammer"! |
| Posted by: Roth LaDoad 2018-02-09 10:33 |
| #6 the ozone in the stratosphere adsorbs and re-radiates the UV which is a small percentage of the Sun's radiation decreasing stratospheric ozone might create a small decrease in temperature in the polar areas outside the polar areas, there are offsetting effects of reduced stratospheric ozone some effects increase ground temps, some decrease, its a complicated question for which we don't really have a good quantitative answer because other issues, like CO2, cloudiness, El Nino, etc. greatly outweigh the ozone issue in terms of temperature |
| Posted by: lord garth 2018-02-09 10:27 |
| #5 What if we release tons of freon into the atmosphere and create a huge hole in the ozone layer? Hopefully that would allow more heat from the sun to reach earth. |
| Posted by: jpal 2018-02-09 09:38 |
| #4 So electing Trump caused the sun to die? |
| Posted by: gorb 2018-02-09 09:35 |
| #3 Getting colder in Minnesota, Not liking this. On the other hand it's sure to give Al Gore and the Pope aneurysms. |
| Posted by: Woodrow 2018-02-09 06:53 |
| #2 Well just re-elect obama and you can have a complete burn up and drought and no water, and famine, and pestilence and then maybe the sun will black hole sun on you and show you mercy before all your Family becomes starving animals like every other democrat paradise. Better to go quick, you know. |
| Posted by: newc 2018-02-09 02:13 |
| #1 the Mauder minimum was a severe dearth of solar activity coincided with the little ice age there really is no reason to expect our 21st century minimum to be as severe - it could be like the Dalton minimum in the early 19th century |
| Posted by: lord garth 2018-02-09 00:25 |