Century of records links sun and climate, according to a report in National Science Foundation (NSF) 16 July and ScienceDaily, 17 July 2009. Gerald Meehl, of the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) in Boulder, Colorado, and colleagues have analysed sea surface temperature records from 1890 to 2006 and used two computer models to simulate the response of the oceans as the sun’s radiation changes. Solar output varies by about 0.1 percent over an eleven year cycle. Their results indicated that as the sun reaches solar maximum it heats cloud free regions of the Pacific Ocean, which increases evaporation, which affects tropical rainfall, and via trade winds and ocean currents, affects weather patterns all over the world. In particular it affects the formation of El Nino and La Nina events which are associated with changes in rainfall on both sides of the Pacific Ocean. Jay Fein, of NSF’s Division of Atmospheric Sciences commented: “These results are striking in that they point to a scientifically feasible series of events that link the 11-year solar cycle with ENSO, the tropical Pacific phenomenon that so strongly influences climate variability around the world. The next step is to confirm or dispute these intriguing model results with observational data analyses and targeted new observations.”
Editorial Comment: A variation of 0.1percent over a period of eleven years may not seem much, but when you consider the relative sizes of the sun and the earth 0.1percent is huge. Therefore the sun will have far greater effect on climate variability than anything human beings can do. The G8 has not yet recommended controlling the sun or even taxing it, as there is nothing human activity can do about the sun. However, the sun is a mere tool in God’s hands and He has promised that there will be regular periods of heat and cold until the end of the world. (Ref. solar, sunspots, oceanography)
Evidence News, 5 August 2009