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Originally Posted by Turtle
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Interesting.
EO News: The Sun's Chilly Impact on Earth - December 6, 2001
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Shindell noted that the effects of this period of a dimmer Sun were concentrated more regionally than globally. "Global average temperature changes are small, approximately .5 to .7 degrees Fahrenheit (0.3-0.4C), but regional temperature changes are quite large." Shindell said that his climate model simulation shows the temperature changes occurring mostly because of a change in the Arctic Oscillation/North Atlantic Oscillation (AO/NAO).
This oscillation is basically a hemispheric-scale see-saw of atmospheric pressure and temperature between the mid latitudes and the Arctic which modulates the strength of the westerly jet stream winds. These winds are reduced as the AO/NAO shifts in response to a dimmer sun. Because the oceans are relatively warm during the winter due to their large heat capacity, the diminished flow creates cold land temperatures by reducing the transport of warm Pacific air to America, and warm Atlantic air to Europe. During this shift, winter temperatures cooling of as much as 2 to 4 degrees Fahrenheit (1-2C).
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"The period of low solar activity in the middle ages led to atmospheric changes that seem to have brought on the Little Ice Age. However, we need to keep in mind that variations in solar output have had far less impact on the Earth's recent climate than human actions," Shindell said. "The biggest catalyst for climate change today are greenhouse gases," he added.
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But alas, Turtle is not likely to clarify his meaning, so I will leave it at that since I may be inadvertently hijacking the thread.
Here is a list of all of the abstracts discussed at the "Solar Variability, Earth's Climate and the Space Environment" conference held at Montana State University (which is what prompted the story referenced in the OP):
http://solar.physics.montana.edu/SVE...ECSE2008v4.pdf
Papers referencing the Maunder Minimum can be found on pages 26, 46, 52, 82, and 89.
