No, We're Not Headed For a New Ice Age

purkinje writes "Unusual calm in the solar cycle — called a solar activity minimum — has sparked claims that the Sun will cool the Earth, leading us into a new ice age. While Europe did experience a Little Ice Age during a solar activity minimum three centuries ago, the connection between sunspots and climate is a lot more complicated, and it's unlikely this change in the Sun's activity will cool Earth down — or even affect the climate at all. Plus, any cooling that might come from this would be less than the global warming that's been going on. So don't pull out that parka yet; a new ice age seems more than unlikely."

Comments

Re:And we know this because...?

[Anonymous Coward]

They are in basically every model

Horseshit. The models are based on carefully massaged indirect evidence; tree rings, fossils, glacial volumes, ice cores, etc., and dramatic extrapolations of inadequate samples, i.e. 200 years of temperature data. Attempts to attribute climate change directly to the star are always downplayed. This story is yet another example:

any cooling that might come from this would be less than the global warming that's been going on

See how the 'warming' is implicitly understood to be an independent factor? That mindset is the only one tolerated in 'climate' research.

Re:We're already in one

[SnarfQuest]

We are sorry, but this planet is currenty undergoing a Global Warming trend caused by human inteference. Do not be confused by the massive ice sheets currently covering much of the land mass. It is a temporary abberation and we expect that that the warming trend will continue after a short intermission.