Results from three separate studies indicate that the sun could be less active in its next cycle. While the relationship between solar activity and climate is still a matter of scientific debate, some scientists say this could slow down the warming trend on Earth.
The results of the studies were announced on Tuesday at the annual meeting of the American Astronomical Society’s solar physics division.
“This is highly unusual and unexpected,” Frank Hill, associate director of the National Solar Observatory’s Solar Synoptic Network, told Space.com. “But the fact that three completely different views of the sun point in the same direction is a powerful indicator that the sunspot cycle may be going into hibernation.”
All three studies suggest an upcoming period of less solar activity than the typical 11-year cycle of solar activity would suggest. One indicator was the number and frequency of sunspots, which are caused by intense magnetic forces. Others included the magnetic strength of those sunspots and patterns in a gas stream under the surface of the sun.
Scientists say the sun’s activity will peak in about 2013, reports MSNBC, but that the indicators from the studies point to an extended period of low activity after that.
The sun had a similar period, between 1645 and 1715, that coincided with lower temperatures on Earth. That period on Earth is known as “the Little Ice Age.”
But scientists are still debating whether there’s any link between solar activity and climate. (The Little Ice Age also coincided with a period of increased volcanic emissions that could have played a role.) According to MSNBC, there is little evidence so far to support that it does, and scientists don’t expect to see a large change in Earth’s climate even if the sun does go into semi-hibernation for a while.
Image courtesy of Flickr, nasacommons