Catching Some Cosmic Rays
Recently, laboratory experiments have proven that Cosmic Rays can trigger cloud formation. Dr. Hanreik Svensmark of the Danish National Space Center has theorized that this cloud formation may explain a great deal about the mild warming we have seen-warming which is being blamed on carbon dioxide emissions. I hadn`t really intended on tackling this, since I`ve covered this ground for several years, but numerous readers have e-mailed articles about it to me, so I decided to address the matter briefly.
There are numerous factors which affect the world`s climate; Milankovich cycles-variations in the Earth`s orbit-coincide with the major ice ages, Solar output, catastrophic atmospheric events (such as asteroids, major volcanic eruptions, etc.), all play their part. Svensmark`s theory says that cosmic rays, especially those striking the polar regions, generate clouds. During periods of high solar activity the Earth receives fewer cosmic rays because the Sun is putting out more solar wind (charged particles streaming from the Sun) and her magnetic field is enlarged. Essentially, this excess brooms the relatively weak cosmic rays aside, as does the Earth`s magnetic field. (Astronauts traveling to the Moon have reported seeing cosmic rays as flashes on their retinas. These have sometimes been bright enough to keep them awake despite the fact that their eyes are closed!) As a result, the Earth has less cloud cover and can absorb more energy coming from a more active Sun.
When the solar cycle peaks, the influence of cosmic rays intensifies. Dr. Sally Baliunas predicted that we were passing this zenith a few years back, and evidence is mounting that this is the case. With weaker solar output we now see the Earth`s albedo, or reflectivity, is increasing. Why? Because Earth`s cloud cover is increasing.
At first, this cloud cover acts to trap heat in the atmosphere, just as a blanket traps your body heat on a chilly night. We`ve all heard the phrase ``clear and cold``; clear nights are colder because heat has nothing to hold it. The early stages of Svensmarkian clouding is a warmer atmosphere.
But clouds also reflect heat, and eventually the amount of heat reflected back into space will cause a long-term cooling trend. If Solar output does not increase to offset the effects of cosmic rays, the planet will experience a major cooling event. This is precisely what happened during the Mini Ice Age; the Maunder Minimum was a nadir in Solar output, and the world cooled after the fact. It should be pointed out that Medieval descriptions of Britain suggested a much sunnier place than it would become. The important point is that climate change was driven by changes in the Sun.
We know we have been in a period of an active Sun and this is illustrated by the fact that Mars has been warming as has Pluto. If Svensmark is correct-and now experimental data suggests that he is-we are leaving this heavy cycle, and will witness the end of Global Warming.
Once again, I ask the proponents of the current ``standard`` model this question; if carbon dioxide is such a powerful medium for climate forcing (or greenhouse effect) why is Mars so damn cold? Venus is around 900* F. and it was on Venus that you people based your models. What about Mars? The planet is a frozen waste, despite the fact that it`s atmosphere is 95% CO2. Mars is so cold that much of it`s atmosphere has frozen at the poles-particularly the south pole where it forms a great cap of dry ice. The planet should be much warmer given the amount of radiation it receives, and was in past epochs. I realize that the martian atmosphere is as thin as Barack Obama`s resume, yet it was once quite possibly as dense as the Earth`s; why did it dissipate, if CO2 is as menacing as you claim?
Why is Mars coming out of it`s most recent (extremely long) ice age at the exact moment the Earth is undergoing some warming? Explain that to me, will you?
There are numerous factors which affect the world`s climate; Milankovich cycles-variations in the Earth`s orbit-coincide with the major ice ages, Solar output, catastrophic atmospheric events (such as asteroids, major volcanic eruptions, etc.), all play their part. Svensmark`s theory says that cosmic rays, especially those striking the polar regions, generate clouds. During periods of high solar activity the Earth receives fewer cosmic rays because the Sun is putting out more solar wind (charged particles streaming from the Sun) and her magnetic field is enlarged. Essentially, this excess brooms the relatively weak cosmic rays aside, as does the Earth`s magnetic field. (Astronauts traveling to the Moon have reported seeing cosmic rays as flashes on their retinas. These have sometimes been bright enough to keep them awake despite the fact that their eyes are closed!) As a result, the Earth has less cloud cover and can absorb more energy coming from a more active Sun.
When the solar cycle peaks, the influence of cosmic rays intensifies. Dr. Sally Baliunas predicted that we were passing this zenith a few years back, and evidence is mounting that this is the case. With weaker solar output we now see the Earth`s albedo, or reflectivity, is increasing. Why? Because Earth`s cloud cover is increasing.
At first, this cloud cover acts to trap heat in the atmosphere, just as a blanket traps your body heat on a chilly night. We`ve all heard the phrase ``clear and cold``; clear nights are colder because heat has nothing to hold it. The early stages of Svensmarkian clouding is a warmer atmosphere.
But clouds also reflect heat, and eventually the amount of heat reflected back into space will cause a long-term cooling trend. If Solar output does not increase to offset the effects of cosmic rays, the planet will experience a major cooling event. This is precisely what happened during the Mini Ice Age; the Maunder Minimum was a nadir in Solar output, and the world cooled after the fact. It should be pointed out that Medieval descriptions of Britain suggested a much sunnier place than it would become. The important point is that climate change was driven by changes in the Sun.
We know we have been in a period of an active Sun and this is illustrated by the fact that Mars has been warming as has Pluto. If Svensmark is correct-and now experimental data suggests that he is-we are leaving this heavy cycle, and will witness the end of Global Warming.
Once again, I ask the proponents of the current ``standard`` model this question; if carbon dioxide is such a powerful medium for climate forcing (or greenhouse effect) why is Mars so damn cold? Venus is around 900* F. and it was on Venus that you people based your models. What about Mars? The planet is a frozen waste, despite the fact that it`s atmosphere is 95% CO2. Mars is so cold that much of it`s atmosphere has frozen at the poles-particularly the south pole where it forms a great cap of dry ice. The planet should be much warmer given the amount of radiation it receives, and was in past epochs. I realize that the martian atmosphere is as thin as Barack Obama`s resume, yet it was once quite possibly as dense as the Earth`s; why did it dissipate, if CO2 is as menacing as you claim?
Why is Mars coming out of it`s most recent (extremely long) ice age at the exact moment the Earth is undergoing some warming? Explain that to me, will you?
posted by Timothy Birdnow | 3:55 PM
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