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5 Mar 09 – (Excerpts) "The amount and distribution of solar energy
that we receive varies as the Earth revolves around the Sun and also in
response to changes in the Sun’s activity. Scientists have now been
studying solar influences on climate for 5000 years.
"Chinese imperial astronomers kept detailed sunspot records. They
noticed that more sunspots meant warmer weather on Earth. In 1801, the
celebrated astronomer William Herschel noticed that when there were few
spots, the price of wheat soared – because, he surmised, less “light and
heat” from the Sun resulted in reduced harvests.
The price of wheat soared! As I've been sayingall along, I fear that
we'll be fighting in the
streets for food long before we're covered by ice.
"Between 1645 and 1715, sunspots were very rare and temperatures were
low. Then sunspot frequency grew until, between 1930 and 2000, the Sun
was more active than at almost any time in the last 10,000 years. The
oceans can cause up to several decades of delay before air temperatures
respond fully to this solar “Grand Maximum.” Now that the Sun is
becoming less active again, global temperatures have fallen for seven
years.
More active than at almost any time in the last 10,000 years!
"We have known for nearly 80 years that small changes in solar activity
can cause large climatic changes. Where sunlight falls, for how long,
and with what effect, determine how climate will respond.
"The most recent scientific evidence shows that even small changes in
solar radiation have a strong effect on Earth’s temperature and climate.
"In 2005, I demonstrated a surprisingly strong correlation between solar
radiation and temperatures in the Arctic over the past 130 years. Since
then, I have demonstrated similar correlations in all the regions
surrounding the Arctic, including the US mainland and China.
"The close relationships between the abrupt ups and downs of solar
activity and of temperature that I have identified occur locally in
coastal Greenland; regionally in the Arctic Pacific and north Atlantic;
and hemispherically for the whole circum-Arctic, suggesting that changes
in solar activity drive Arctic and perhaps even global climate.
"There is no such match between the steady rise in atmospheric CO2
concentration and the often dramatic ups and downs of surface
temperatures in and around the Arctic.
"I recently discovered direct evidence that changes in solar activity
have influenced what has been called the “conveyor-belt” circulation of
the great Atlantic Ocean currents over the past 240 years. For instance,
solar-driven changes in temperature, and in the volume of freshwater
output from the Arctic, cause variations in sea surface temperature in
the tropical Atlantic 5-20 years later.
"These previously undocumented results have been published in the
journal Physical Geography. They make it difficult to maintain that
changes in solar activity play an insignificant role in climate change,
especially over the Arctic.
"The evidence in my paper is consistent with the hypothesis that the Sun
causes climatic change in the Arctic.
"It invalidates the hypothesis that CO2 is a major cause of observed
climate change – and raises serious questions about the wisdom of
imposing cap-and-trade or other policies that would cripple energy
production and economic activity, in the name of “preventing
catastrophic climate change.”
"Bill Clinton used to sum up politics by saying, “It’s the economy,
stupid!” Now we can fairly sum up climate change by saying, “It’s the
Sun, stupid!”
Willie Soon is a solar and climate scientist at the
Harvard-Smithsonian Center
for Astrophysics. This is his personal
opinion based upon 18 years of scientific research.
See entire paper:
http://www.ilovemycarbondioxide.com/pdf/Willie_Soon-Its_the_Sun_Stupid.pdf
Thanks to Mike Kidd and Hans Schreuder for this link |