On Tue, 14 Jun 2011 10:12:52 -0700, prodata wrote:

This may be well known to those who follow solar activity closely, but
this summary of a new paper on recent sunspot activity on The Register
was an interesting read:

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2011/06/14/ice_age/

The regression line looks too steep to my eye though I dare say that's
an optical illusion and it's been calculated accurately enough. But even
so the regression line looks fairly sensitive and another year with
higher than expected sunspot activity might well lower the slope.

JGD

Seems like they're jumping the gun with this one. Yes, the sunspot cycle
is going into a weaker phase but it's far too early too fly into a panic
about "little ice-ages". The next max is due in 2013, but what happens in
periods of low sunspot activity is that the 11-year cycle grows longer,
expanding to 12-13 years. It's quite possible that we won't see the
maximum of this cycle until 2015. Let's not fly into a panic for a few
years yet.


--
Graham Davis, Bracknell, Berks. E-mail: change boy to man
To consider the Earth the only populated world in infinite space is as
absurd as to assert that in an entire field sown with millet only one
grain will grow. - Metrodoros, 300BC