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NEWS... ... GLOBAL NEWS. SOLAR CHANGES SPARK FEAR OF corresponded with a period of bitter cold © CO: has had before, and it most likely will GLOBAL COOLING that began around 1650 and lasted, with again," Patterson says. "If we were to have n 1991, the Danish Meteorological intermittent spikes of warming, until 1715. even a medium-sized solar minimum, we Institute released a study using data that Frigid winters and cold summers during could be looking at a lot more bad effects went back centuries which showed that _ that period led to massive crop failures, than ‘global warming’ would have had." global temperatures closely tracked solar famine and death in northern Europe. In 2005, Russian astronomer Khabibullo cycles. To many, those data were Tapping reports no change in the Sun's Abdusamatov made some waves—and not convincing. Now, Canadian scientists are magnetic field so far this cycle, and warns a few enemies in the global warming seeking additional funding for more and _ that if the Sun remains quiet for another "community"—by predicting that the Sun better "eyes" with which to observe our _ year or two it may indicate a repeat of that would reach a peak of activity about three Sun, which they suspect has a bigger period of drastic cooling of the Earth, years from now, to be accompanied by impact on Earth's climate than all the bringing massive snowfall and severe "dramatic changes" in temperatures. tailpipes and smokestacks on our planet —_ weather to the northern hemisphere. A Hoover Institution study a few years combined. Tapping oversees the operation of a 60- back examined historical data and came to And they're worried about global year-old radio telescope that he calls a a similar conclusion. cooling, not warming. "stethoscope for the Sun". But he and his "The effects of solar activity and Kenneth Tapping, a solar researcher and _ colleagues need better equipment. volcanoes are impossible to miss. project director for Canada's National In Canada, where radio-telescopic Temperatures fluctuated exactly as Research Council, is among those looking monitoring of the Sun has been conducted expected, and the pattern was so clear that, at the Sun for evidence of an increase in since the end of World War II, a new _ statistically, the odds of the correlation sunspot activity. instrument—the next-generation solar flux existing by chance were one in 100," Solar activity fluctuates in an 11-year monitor—could measure the Sun's according to Hoover fellow Bruce cycle. But so far in this cycle, the Sun has _ emissions more rapidly and accurately. Berkowitz. been disturbingly quiet. The lack of For instance, researchers at the Max The study says that "try as we might, we increased activity could signal the Planck Institute for Solar Research in simply could not find any relationship beginning of what is known as a Maunder Germany report the Sun has been burning between industrial activity, energy Minimum, an event which occurs every more brightly over the last 60 years, consumption and changes in global couple of centuries and can last as long asa accounting for the one degree Celsius temperatures". The study concludes that if century. increase in the Earth's temperature over the you shut down all the world's power plants Such an event occurred in the 17th __ last 100 years. and factories, "there would not be much century. The observation of sunspots R. Timothy Patterson, Professor of — effect on temperatures". showed extraordinarily low levels of | Geology and Director of the Ottawa- But if the Sun shuts down, we've got a magnetism on the Sun, with little or no 11- Carleton Geoscience Centre of Canada's _ problem. It is the Sun, not the Earth, that's year cycle. This solar hibernation Carleton University, says that "CO: hanging in the balance. atavle Due Na ” x Vittla | On ae 7 corresponded with a period of bitter cold that began around 1650 and lasted, with intermittent spikes of warming, until 1715. Frigid winters and cold summers during that period led to massive crop failures, famine and death in northern Europe. Tapping reports no change in the Sun's magnetic field so far this cycle, and warns that if the Sun remains quiet for another year or two it may indicate a repeat of that period of drastic cooling of the Earth, bringing massive snowfall and severe weather to the northern hemisphere. Tapping oversees the operation of a 60- year-old radio telescope that he calls a "stethoscope for the Sun". But he and his colleagues need better equipment. In Canada, where radio-telescopic monitoring of the Sun has been conducted since the end of World War II, a new instrument—the next-generation solar flux monitor—could measure the Sun's emissions more rapidly and accurately. For instance, researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Solar Research in Germany report the Sun has been burning more brightly over the last 60 years, accounting for the one degree Celsius increase in the Earth's temperature over the last 100 yea R. Timothy Patterson, Professor of Geology and Director of the Ottawa- Carleton Geoscience Centre of Canada's Carleton University, says that "CO2 variations show little correlation with our planet's * climate on long, medium and even short time scales". Rather, he says: "I and the first-class scientists I work with are consistently , finding excellent correlations between the regular fluctuations of the Sun and earthly climate. This is not surprising. The Sun and the stars are the ultimate source of energy on this planet." Patterson, sharing be Tapping's concern, says: "Solar scientists predict i] that, by 2020, the Sun will be starting into its weakest Schwabe cycle of the past Wy two centuries, likely leading to unusually cool conditions fre on Earth." "Solar activity has CO: has had before, and it most likely will again," Patterson says. "If we were to have even a medium-sized solar minimum, we could be looking at a lot more bad effects than 'global warming’ would have had." In 2005, Russian astronomer Khabibullo Abdusamatov made some waves—and not a few enemies in the global warming "community"—by predicting that the Sun would reach a peak of activity about three years from now, to be accompanied by "dramatic changes" in temperatures. A Hoover Institution study a few years back examined historical data and came to a similar conclusion. "The effects of solar activity and volcanoes are impossible to miss. Temperatures fluctuated exactly as expected, and the pattern was so clear that, statistically, the odds of the correlation existing by chance were one in 100," according to Hoover fellow Bruce Berkowitz. The study says that "try as we might, we simply could not find any relationship between industrial activity, energy consumption and changes in global temperatures". The study concludes that if you shut down all the world's power plants and factories, "there would not be much effect on temperatures". But if the Sun shuts down, we've got a problem. It is the Sun, not the Earth, that's hanging in the balance. (Source: Investor's Business Daily, 7 February 2008, http://ibdeditorial.com/IBD Articles.aspx?id=2872794 12587175) GREENHOUSE EQUATIONS DECLARED WRONG Mas Zagoni isn't just a physicist and environmental researcher. He is also a global warming activist and Hungary's most outspoken supporter of the Kyoto Protocol. Or was. That was until he learned the details of a new theory of the greenhouse effect, one that not only gives far more accurate climate predictions here on Earth but on Mars, too. The theory was developed by another Hungarian scientist, Ferenc Miskolezi, an atmospheric physicist with 30 years of experience and a former researcher with NASA's Langley Research Center. After studying it, Zagoni stopped calling global warming a crisis, and instead focused on presenting the new theory to other climatologists. "Runaway greenhouse theories contradict energy balance equations," Miskolczi states. “Solar activity has overpowered any effect that 10 = NEXUS APRIL — MAY 2008 www.nexusmagazine.com