Rawstory reports on a Telegraph article about the likelihood of an upcoming Maunder minimum between 2030 and 2040, which might result in something like a Little Ice Age for the northern hemisphere:
A study by researchers at Great Britain’s Northumbria University say that competing physical cycles within our sun will cancel each other out in the next solar cycle, resulting in a “mini Ice Age” like one that gripped the Northern Hemisphere from 1645 to 1715.
[…]
“[In the cycle between 2030 and around 2040] the two waves exactly mirror each other — peaking at the same time but in opposite hemispheres of the sun,” she explained.
“Their interaction will be disruptive, or they will nearly cancel each other,” she said. “We predict that this will lead to the properties of a ‘Maunder minimum.'”
The Maunder Minimum is the 70-year period from 1645 to 1715 when North America and Europe experienced very cold winters due to lower solar temperatures and minimal sunspot activity.
“In England during this “Little Ice Age,'” wrote the Telegraph’s Dan Hyde, “River Thames frost fairs were held. In the winter of 1683-84 the Thames froze over for seven weeks, during which it was ‘passable by foot,’ according to historical records.”
Check out the link above for a cool video explaining the phenomenon in more detail.
No comments:
Post a Comment