Our dynamic Sun is a part of a much larger system that has an internal feedback loop. Just like the human body-the lungs cannot exist without the heart and the kidneys cannot exist without the heart-there is an entire feedback loop in the solar system in which the sun radiates light in the form of waves which are then reflected back from the earth; some of which are absorbed and some of which are reflected back out to space via dense cloud cover and other variables. All of these factors work together to create order and equilibrium in the system. Using another analogy, our economy has cyclical markets that go up and go down. So too does the earth. Within this complex system of an internal feedback loop, there are periods of global warming, and there are periods of global cooling, i.e. cycles, and the evidence shows that these periods correspond with solar activity, not CO2 levels.
Variations in solar activity have been observed since ancient times but up until recently there has been a push to determine the sun's role in rising earth's temperatures because of the controversy that exists around the natural and anthropogenic (man-made) causes. Ample evidence has been routinely collected since the early 1970s from absolute radiometers launched on satellites. Using this data, in addition to proxy indicators for climate temperatures such as tree rings and O (oxygen) in ice cores, a direct comparison was made in the sun-climate connection (Haigh 5-6). Further studies continued to show the direct relationship between the sun and the climate resulting in empirical data. As more information was gained, more questions were asked which necessitated further research. This resulted in the expansion of research via the International Space Science Institute (ISSI).
It was first theorized that man was causing global warming via the emissions of fossil fuels, or greenhouse gases, resulting in an increase in atmospheric CO2 levels. But when temperatures remained the same or "flat," the term "global warming" was changed to "climate change" in response to anthropogenic or human activities on climate disruptions. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) put forth a hypothesis in a model showing an increase in atmospheric CO2 that causes an increase in temperatures. As such, global governments must act now if they are to save us all from becoming crispy critters! Another group called the Nongovernmental International Panel on Climate Change (NIPCC) issued a report from leading scientists in response to the IPCC's model refuting the claims of the IPCC with thorough research and objective analysis. Their evidence contradicts the paradigm set forth by the IPCC (Hertzberg 547). Although the NIPCC concedes that CO2 is a mild greenhouse gas (which is necessary for life in the biosphere), governments all around the world are pushing to reduce carbon emissions via taxes and strict regulations that will result in the micromanagement of nations and individuals, not to mention a loss of freedoms. But how much is man really contributing to forces that are far beyond his ability to grasp let alone control and then try to enact?
Earth's temperatures have oscillated naturally between +4C and -6C in geologic time which is demonstrated by the Medieval warming period and its recovery from the Little Ice Age that ended in the mid-1800s, and this was long before the abundance of fossil fuels which are supposed to be the cause of rising CO2 levels and rising global temperatures. This demands further scrutiny of other variables to determine the real cause of global warming, otherwise, no such legitimization that carbon emissions are responsible can occur. It is not only intellectually dishonest to make a broad-sweeping generalization like the IPCC does but their model also does not prove anything. According to the report from the NIPCC, the IPCC makes preposterous claims based on models that have not been validated, models that show no predictive value (Hertzberg 549). Furthermore, it appears as the data is further scrutinized, rising temperatures, whether they are in the atmosphere or in the vast oceans, precede rising CO2 levels not the other way around. This evidence has been observed with the recent cycle of warming and cooling, "[these] observations conclusively falsify the IPCC theory that CO2 is the primary forcing agent for temperature change" (Hertzberg 548). Simply put, the IPCC's model does not represent the balance of all the variables that go into affecting climate, aside from the sun, one of which is the massive body of oceans that cover 70% of the earth with its high specific heat capacity that absorbs CO2. Little does the IPCC model make mention that water vapor is a greenhouse gas but that is for another topic to be discussed later. For now we are focusing on the sun's role in climate variations.
There is a significant influence of solar activity on climate fluctuations. During the Little Ice Age, little solar activity occurred whereas during the Medieval warm period, solar activity was abundant. The correlation between global warming and solar activity cannot and should not be discounted especially in lieu of the evidence. Studies have shown that whenever there has been high solar activity, there is a decrease in cosmic rays which results in a reduction of nucleating agents for cloud formation which further results in a decrease in the earth's albedo (reflection of UV) which then increases absorption of solar radiation which in turn increases earth's temperatures (Hertzberg 552). This complex chain of events is similar to cellular metabolism and/or metabolic pathways. There is an order to the system, and it all works cohesively to bring about the mechanics of the system. This helps to shed light on the significant importance of each property within the system.
When looking at the sun's role in earth's temperatures, the property of solar activity starts a chain of cascading events. To further clarify this concept, solar activity occurs when solar wind and magnetic activity on the surface of the sun shield the earth from cosmic rays. When cosmic rays are reduced, there are less particles (ions) in cloud formations to reflect (albedo) the electromagnetic radiation (transverse waves) which then results in the absorption of solar radiation. These events affect earth's temperatures. The opposite occurs when there is little solar activity; there are more cosmic rays which make more nucleating agents which increases clouds and the albedo which results in a cooler earth. This example shows the cause and effect, and it demonstrates that solar activity is a major influence in how much radiant energy reaches earth.
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| (NASA image of our stunning Sun) |