Sun Oddly Quiet -- Hints at Next "Little Ice Age"?

National Geographic News ^ | May 4, 2009 | Anne Minard

[neverdem]

If you thought National Geographic was going to commit heresy, there are enough vaveats about agw to choke a horse.

In July 2000 the sun was at a peak in activity, as seen by the speckling of sunspots spied by NASA's Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) spacecraft. But the sun was a blank disk in March 2009, when it was the quietest it has been since the 1950s.

The current sunspot deficit has caused some scientists to recall the Little Ice Age of the early 1600s and late 1700s, a prolonged, localized cold spell linked to a decline in solar activity.

Images courtesy SOHO, the EIT Consortium, and the MDI Team

[ConservativeMind]

“[Global warming] skeptics tend to leap forward,” said Mike Lockwood, a solar terrestrial physicist at the University of Southampton in the U.K. (Get the facts about global warming.)

Uh, I'd say the Global Warming idiots are the ones that “leap forward.”

Freaking stupid.

[neverdem]

vaveats = caveats

[FlingWingFlyer]

Algore and his loonies are burning the midnight oil preparing to launch their new and exciting "Global Cooling" campaign. The culprit? Big Gulps and Icees bought at local convinience stores. Al is on the case.

[rdl6989]

Goracle’s fault!

[USFRIENDINVICTORIA]

“”[Global warming] skeptics tend to leap forward,” said Mike Lockwood, a solar terrestrial physicist ....”

Psychological projection!

[Snickering Hound]

We must immediately raise taxes and increase regulation.

Let the sun know we’re taking this very seriously.

[Rocky]

"I think you have to bear in mind that the CO2 is a good 50 to 60 percent higher than normal, whereas the decline in solar output is a few hundredths of one percent down," Lockwood said. "I think that helps keep it in perspective."

Boy, are these idiots going to be embarrassed.

[lacrew]

“In general, recent research has been building a case that the sun has a slightly bigger influence on Earth’s climate than most theories have predicted.”

I guess I’m being too simplistic. I’ve always had the assumption that the sun had EVERYTHING to do with our climate.

I love where they’re going with this: Even if the waterways are locked with ice, and people are freezing to death, don’t let your AGW guard down and start using energy to stay warm (movie stars and politicians not included)

[Dallas59]

Fire up the coal plants...and build new ones...

[KoRn]

May be of interest.

[wendy1946]

Even if the current solar lull is the beginning of a prolonged quiet, the scientists say, the star's effects on climate will pale in contrast with the influence of human-made greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide (CO2).

That's called "denial".

[DJtex]

"I think you have to bear in mind that the CO2 is a good 50 to 60 percent higher than normal, whereas the decline in solar output is a few hundredths of one percent down," Lockwood said. "I think that helps keep it in perspective."

Wow! What backward logic. If 50 years Global Warming coincident with 50-60% rise in CO2 has been wiped out in the last eight years by solar output declining 0.02% logic says that the Sun's output variability is 2,500 times as powerful as CO2 concentrations.

[Southack]

The Earth has been cooling since temps peaked in 1998.

Over a decade of global cooling.

[Army Air Corps]

AGW has become their cult. All they are missing is Algore calling himself Bagwan Al and moving to a compound in Oregon where they can all live together.

[BenLurkin]

American SUVs have done this.

Not to worry — cap and trade will bring back the sunspots.

[Interesting Times]

"I think you have to bear in mind that the CO2 is a good 50 to 60 percent higher than normal, whereas the decline in solar output is a few hundredths of one percent down," Lockwood said. "I think that helps keep it in perspective."

Good Lord. This guy is a scientist?

I suppose as an equally stupid rejoinder one might point out that the sun is much larger than a CO2 molecule.

[spokeshave]

hi all...monitor sunspots (or lack thereoff) at:

http://sohowww.nascom.nasa.gov/sunspots/

enjoy

[headstamp 2]

“Even if the current solar lull is the beginning of a prolonged quiet, the scientists say, the star’s effects on climate will pale in contrast with the influence of human-made greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide (CO2).”

Chortle.

[jonno]

is a good 50 to 60 percent higher than normal...

And makes up what -- 1-2% of total greenhouse gases?