by Phoebe Weston
November 13, 2018
from DailyMail Website


 

Sunspots have been absent for most of this year,

NASA scientists say.
This is now the Earth's upper atmosphere

- the thermosphere - responding.
Data comes from satellite which measures

changes in the Earth's atmosphere.
It found the uppermost later of air

around the planet is cooling and shrinking.
Changes high above Earth are unlikely

to impact temperatures on our planet...
 

Global warmists will eat crow for awhile while the earth cools and it becomes obvious that the sun is the primary determinant for earth's temperature.

 

The global warming meme is a fraud that does not respect objective science.

Source

Lack of Sunspots could bring a 'Space Age Record' for Cold Temperatures above Earth in a matter of Months

A lack of sunspots could herald in a 'Space Age record' for cold temperatures in the the Earth's upper atmosphere, a scientist has warned.

The mercury could plummet in the thermosphere - a layer of gases around 60 to 180 miles (100 to 300km) above the planet's surface - as a result of the sun's inactivity.

Sunspots are not fully understood but they occur over regions of intense magnetic activity as part of the 11 year solar cycle. Ultra-violet radiation sent out across the cosmos from these sunspots agitates particles in the Earth's atmosphere, causing them to heat up.

Sunspots have been absent from the surface of the sun for most of this year, causing the Earth's upper atmosphere to lose heat energy as a result of the lack of agitation.

However, research has shown these changes high above Earth are unlikely to have much of an impact on weather at the planet's surface - including climate change.

 

A lack of sunspots

could herald in a 'Space Age record'

for cold temperatures in the thermosphere,

a scientist has warned.

Researchers worked this out

using NASA's TIMED satellite (pictured)

which measures changes

 in the Earth's atmosphere.

(artist's impression)

'High above Earth's surface, near the edge of space, our atmosphere is losing heat energy', Dr Mlynczak told Dr Tony Phillips as part of an in-depth feature in Space Weather.

'If current trends continue, it could soon set a Space Age record for cold', he added.

The data comes from NASA's TIMED satellite, which measures changes in the Earth's atmosphere.

It found the thermosphere is currently cooling and shrinking. They found this out by using the SABER instrument on the TIMED satellite, which monitors infrared emissions from carbon dioxide and nitric oxide.

These two substances play an important role in the overall balance of energy.

To keep track of its movements, researchers led by Dr. Martin Mlynczav created the 'Thermosphere Climate Index' (TCI).

This number - which is expressed in Watts - shows how many heat trapping molecules like carbon dioxide and nitric oxide are released into space.

'SABER is currently measuring 33 billion Watts of infrared power from NO [nitric oxide]', Dr Mlynczak said.

'That's 10 times smaller than we see during more active phases of the solar cycle.'

It could set a record in a 'matter of months' Dr Mlynczak said.
 

The thermosphere always cools off

during Solar Minimum as the sun's

ultraviolet output (pictured) drops sharply.

Sunspots have been absent for

most of this year and this is the Earth's

upper atmosphere responding,

Martin Mlynczak says
 

Solar activity tends to come and go in cycles lasting around 11 years and the star is currently experiencing a continuing period of inactivity - as shown by a lack of sun spots.

The current Solar Minimum is causing dramatic changes in the thermosphere. The thermosphere always cools off during Solar Minimum as the sun's ultraviolet output drops sharply.

The effects of solar minimum include Earth's upper atmosphere cooling and shrinking slightly.

• This can allow space junk to accumulate in low Earth orbit.
   

• An increase in solar winds can also alter the chemistry of Earth's upper atmosphere, which may trigger more lightning and aid in cloud formation.
   

• This can also affect air travel, as an uptick means more radiation is able to penetrate planes.
   

• This means passengers on long-haul flights may receive doses of radiation similar to dental X-rays during a single trip, and this puts flight crews in additional danger.

Solar activity tends to come and go

in cycles lasting around 11 years

and the star is currently experiencing a continuing

period of inactivity - as shown by a lack of sun spots.

Earlier this year, an eerily still surface of the sun

was captured by cameras aboard NASA's SDO satellite
 

Earlier this year, an eerily still surface of the sun was captured by cameras aboard NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) satellite.

Showing a barren orange globe, the remarkable image it produced is the result of a lack of sunspot activity in the star's magnetic field. The sun was predicted to reach its 'solar minimum' low point in 2019 or 2020, according to NASA's calculations.

Now, researchers say sunspots are vanishing faster than expected and the current solar cycle may come to an end sooner than previously thought.

Solar minimum may,

• enhance the effects of space weather

• disrupt communications and navigation

• even cause space junk to 'hang around', NASA says

WHY DO FEWER SUNSPOTS CAUSE MORE PROBLEMS ON EARTH?

Lack of sunspot activity in the sun is due to a continuing period of inactivity in the star's magnetic field.

As the sun moves through its 11-year cycle, it experiences active and quiet periods known as the solar maximum and solar minimum.

As solar minimum approaches, certain types of activity - such as sunspots and solar flares - will drop, but it's also expected to increase long-lived phenomena.

This includes coronal holes, where fast moving solar winds are created when the star's magnetic field opens up into space. This happens more regularly as the sun's magnetic field becomes less active.

Strong solar winds

emanating from three massive 'holes'

on the surface of the sun have begun

to bombard Earth, scientists say.

Fast moving solar winds are created where

the star's magnetic field opens up into space,

captured as vast black regions

in this satellite imagery.

Charged particles make their way out into the solar system through these gaps and hit the atmosphere of our planet.

This can lead to a number of complications, including,

• magnetic storms which can result in power grid fluctuations

• impact on satellite operations

• can affect migratory animals

An increase in solar winds can also alter the chemistry of Earth's upper atmosphere, which may trigger more lightning and aid in cloud formation.