A Potential test for the planetary – solar connection: Jovian Perihelion

Before he died, Timo Niroma noted that the two day lull in the solar wind in 1999 coincided with the perihelion of Jupiter, the planet’s closest approach to the Sun in it’s 11.86 year orbit.

http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/1999/ast13dec99_1/

Starting late on May 10 and continuing through the early hours of May 12, NASA’s ACE and Wind spacecraft each observed that the density of the solar wind dropped by more than 98%…According to observations from the ACE spacecraft, the density of helium in the solar wind dropped to less than 0.1% of its normal value, and heavier ions, held back by the Sun’s gravity, apparently could not escape from the Sun at all. Data from NASA’s SAMPEX spacecraft reveal that in the wake of this event, Earth’s outer electron radiation belts dissipated and were severely depleted for several months afterward… Earth’s magnetosphere swelled to five to six times its normal size. NASA’s Wind, IMP-8, and Lunar Prospector spacecraft, the Russian INTERBALL satellite and the Japanese Geotail satellite observed the most distant bow shock ever recorded by satellites.

 

Scenarios: 2010-2040 – tallbloke style

I posted this short essay in comments on Judith Curry’s blog yesterday. It seems to be attracting a few responses.

Scenarios: 2010-2040

The global temperature record shows the (inaccurate) sum result of the variation of terrestrial climates (note plural). The only longterm records we have which show the causes of these variations are the sunspot record, the ice cores with their co2 and 10Be results, and tree ring plaeodendroclimatology (for what it’s worth), plus a bunch of other proxies which are more or less difficult to calibrate.

Co2 variations lag behind changes in temperature at all timescales so whatever the validity of the arguments about the supplemental effect they may have, they are not prime movers in climate terms.

Solar variation is invoked by both sides of the debate to explain terrestrial temperature variation before co2 variation became noticeable enough to have made a difference (if it does).

Oceanic cycles seem to be regarded by both sides of the debate as causing temperature variation on multi-decadal timescales, but consideration of the possibility that they may make a difference on a centennial scale seems neglected. This is strange, as the oceans have by far the biggest heat capacity of all the terrestrial sinks which might account for ‘internal natural variability’.

Flying to Lisbon: On official climate business!

I’ve been invited to a climate conference!

The three day workshop is entitled “Conflict Resolution in Climate Science”
This event is being hosted by the European Commission Joint research Centre’s Institute for the Protection and Security of the Citizen at the  Gulbenkian Foundation in Lisbon.

It is being attended by some of the world’s foremost climate scientists, as well as experts in policy formulation and conflict resolution, and some laymen and women with an interest in climate science, including yours truly – me!

The program has yet to be finalised, so there will be more updates here once the details become available.

The mission statement of the Joint Research Council says:

• The mission of the JRC is to provide customer-driven scientific and technical support for the conception, development, implementation and monitoring of EU policies. As a service of the European Commission, the JRC functions as a reference centre of science and technology for the Union. Close to the policy-making process, it serves the common interest of the Member States, while being independent of special interests, whether private or national.

Galactic motion and solar barycentric motion and LOD: a puzzle

Hypothesis:

In order that the angular momentum of the solar system be conserved, as Newtonian physics requires, the angle of the plane of invariance (average planetary orbital plane) must be at 45 degrees to the path of the sun’s motion with respect to the galaxy. Observational evidence supporting this is easily found by looking at the angle the milky way makes in the sky WRT to the ecliptic, and allowing for the Earth’s 23.5 degree tilt WRT the plane of its orbit.

Image courtesy of nj.com

Svensmark on cosmoclimatology short video

This is a nice clear short explanation of cosmoclimatology from Henrik Svensmark and Nir Shaviv. A good link to pass to people who don’t have the inclination to do time consuming reading. It is a mere six minutes long.

http://climateclips.com/archives/271

For anyone inclined to look at the theory in more detail, I recommend the following links: