Geomagnetic data reveal unusual nature of recent solar minimum

watts up with that? ^ | March 19, 2012 | Anthony Watts

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

From the American Geophysical Union weekly highlights:

Key Points

• Minimum 23-24 showed recurrence intervals of 9.0 and 6.7-d
• Historical geomagnetic activity data show that minimum 23-24 was unusual
• The heliosphere during minimum 23-24 had unusual sectorial structure

Since the mid-1800s, scientists have been systematically measuring changes in the Earth’s magnetic field and the occurrence of geomagnetic activity. Such long- term investigation has uncovered a number of cyclical changes, including a signal associated with 27-day solar rotation. This is most clearly seen during the declining phase and minimum of each 11-year solar cycle, when the Sun’s magnetic dipole is sometimes tilted with respect to the Sun’s rotational axis. With the Sun’s rotation and the emission of solar wind along field lines from either end of the solar magnetic dipole, an outward propagating spiral-like pattern is formed in the solar wind and the interplanetary magnetic field that can drive 27-day, and occasionally 13.5-day, recurrent geomagnetic activity. Recurrent geomagnetic activity can also be driven by isolated and semipersistent coronal holes, from which concentrated streams of solar wind can be emitted.

During the most recent solar minimum, which took place from 2006 to 2010, however, several researcher groups noticed 6.7-day and 9-day recurrent changes in geomagnetic activity, and similar patterns in the interplanetary magnetic field, and the solar wind.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Interestin graphical chart of the cycles at the WUWT website.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

fyi

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

45 Responses to Geomagnetic data reveal unusual nature of recent solar minimum

1. Maurizio Morabito (omnologos) says:

   March 19, 2012 at 3:14 am

   This can be easily linked to SUVs.

   In fact the Sun’s remarkable stability over billions and billions of years has been broken by the increased IR emitted by the third planet in the Solar System, throwing off-balance the exquisitely delicate workings of millions of H bombs exploding every second.

   If nations don’t pull themselves together and stop GHG emissions by tomorrow, capitalism is going to destroy the Galaxy and [that's enough catastrophism for this century -Eds]

[FroggyTheGremlim]

Bush's fault!

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Yep... he started all of us using those SUV’s....LOL!

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

More from the comments:

***************************EXCERPT***************************************

Michael Larkin says:

Kurt in Switzerland says:
Interesting stuff…
What is the “take home”?

+1
———————————————
My takeaway is: Another data point that demonstrates the concept of a “solar constant” is fundamentaly flawed and any model or theroy of terrestrial climate that assumes so is also fundamentaly flawed.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Just read this:

The Electric Sun Hypothesis

.The Solar wind is really positive charged ions....flowing out of the cool area of the sunspots.

Not sure how that connects with cycles...

[Carry_Okie]

Such long- term investigation has uncovered a number of cyclical changes, including a signal associated with 27-day solar rotation.

I wonder what influence the terrestrial field exerts on the incidence of particle bombardment resulting in cloud formation. Obviously it doesn't matter diddly with the high energy critters (cosmic rays). However, given that small distinctions from such a singular and powerful source could make significant perturbations on earth, one wonders.

[man from mars]

Kill shot...The God's purifying rays will purify earth with fire. It will bring 1000 years of peace.

[Marine_Uncle]

RE: "Interestin graphical chart of the cycles at the WUWT website."
Well remember what happened in Ghost Buster when the young man just said he saw a few wavy lines and Bill Murray looked at the card, then looked at the pretty women, then pushed the button under the desk. :)

[katana]

The Italian word for sarcasm is sarcasmo. Maurizio must have forgotten the tag.

[SuziQ]

Solar Minimum PING!

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

I guess Ed decided to show something....

[tubebender]

I have noticed that I only need a haircut every 59 days instead of the historic 32 days between cuts?

[PapaBear3625]

The sun has been behaving oddly the last few cycles. You will notice that the current cycle(Cycle 24) is behaving oddly. The prior cycle (23) displayed a bit of a peak-dip-peak around 2001, with a much less noticeable one in cycle 22 around 1989.

We also had Cycle 23 displaying a divergence between irradiance, solar flare index, and sunspot observations, which had more correlation among themselves in the prior two cycles.

Either cycle 24 is ending early (unlikely, the other indicators don't point to it), or cycle 24 is exhibiting a much more pronounced peak-dip-peak behavior (the way March is shaping up, it looks more like the latter). Either way, it's a bit disturbing. Progressive changes in that important glowing ball in the sky do not give me a warm, fuzzy feeling.

[PapaBear3625]

I wonder what influence the terrestrial field exerts on the incidence of particle bombardment resulting in cloud formation. Obviously it doesn't matter diddly with the high energy critters (cosmic rays). However, given that small distinctions from such a singular and powerful source could make significant perturbations on earth, one wonders.

Don't be too sure that it "doesn't matter diddly". The solar magnetic field (whose strength varies, and which sunspot numbers are correlated with) is vast, and has a BIG effect on how much cosmic ray energy hits Earth

[Carry_Okie]

The solar magnetic field (whose strength varies, and which sunspot numbers are correlated with) is vast, and has a BIG effect on how much cosmic ray energy hits Earth.

I was talking about the earth's magnetic field, not the sun's.

[PapaBear3625]

My bad.

Earth's magnetic field also has an effect on how much cosmic ray energy reaches the upper atmosphere. See Van Allen Belt