Sun's Fading Spots Signal Big Drop in Solar Activity [Maunder Minimum->Little Ice Age Returning?]

Space.com / American Astronomical Society ^ | 6/14/2011 | Denise Chow

[SES1066]

Some unusual solar readings, including fading sunspots and weakening magnetic activity near the poles, could be indications that our sun is preparing to be less active in the coming years.

The results of three separate studies seem to show that even as the current sunspot cycle swells toward the solar maximum, the sun could be heading into a more-dormant period, with activity during the next 11-year sunspot cycle greatly reduced or even eliminated.

...

Currently, the sun is in the midst of the period designated as Cycle 24 and is ramping up toward the cycle's period of maximum activity. However, the recent findings indicate that the activity in the next 11-year solar cycle, Cycle 25, could be greatly reduced. In fact, some scientists are questioning whether this drop in activity could lead to a second Maunder Minimum, which was a 70-year period from 1645 to 1715 when the sun showed virtually no sunspots. [Video: Rivers of Fire Inflame Sunspots]

[PIF]

Of course, with falling average temperatures, many will move to the US Southwest. But like all good things today, buying groceries will be a thing of the past. Falling average temps mean record crop failures and food shortages everywhere.

Hot is endurable (with A/C), but cold and the associated starvation will kill many people as it did in the Little Ice Age.

Be careful what you wish for...

[jesseam]

Re: You can still snowmobile (sled) here in Washington State. I was in the mountains last weekend...couldnt believe how much snow is still there.

We still have 200+% of snowpack in the mountains here in Montana. Thank goodness the weather has been very cool so as not to have a rapid snowmelt. If we have a rapid warm up, all bets are off for more flooding.

[GregoryFul]

Geez, get with the program! It is anthropogenic global climate change (AGCC) now, not AGW. How many times do you have to hear it?

[Bean Counter]

Fascinating stuff...there are a lot of scientific assets, including a couple of long term satellites (SOHO has been running for near 13 years now...) and we’ve got more data coming in on what the sun is actually up to than has ever been available before. When you start to consider the enormous scale and power involved with these events it just boggles the mind...

Smithsonian Magazine just ran a great article about the sun...well worth a read, and be sure to check out the photo galleries....

http://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/Something-New-Under-the-Sun.html

[steelyourfaith]

 

Beam me to Planet Gore !

[LasVegasMac]

I grew up in Houston WITHOUT a/c. I still have nightmares about that!

Did you "Feeeeeeeeeeeeeeel the heat?" as the song goes....

I remember as a kid having to drag the mattress out onto the front porch.

AC....yep, those be the first and third letters of the alphabet!

[jesseam]

Re: To read spaceweather.com you’ld think the sun was in overdrive. Maybe this is the start of removing politics from science but I doubt it.

SOLARCYCLE24.com is certainly more objective and free of exaggeration that is very annoying on spaceweather.com

[Ditter]

If you tried to sleep on the front porch in Houston the mosquitoes would have eaten you alive.

We are in the middle of a drought right now so the mosquitoes are few and far between. That means when it does rain we will have clouds of them.

[pallis]

At least one more time, Mr. GregoryFul.