The Earth will experience a mini ice age starting in 15 years, scientists are warning.
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A new study claims to have cracked predicting solar cycles – and says that between 2020 and 2030 solar cycles will cancel each other out. This method could be compared with the decomposition of white light on the rainbow prism detecting the waves of different frequencies. This helped them isolate the waves that have the largest contribution in the observational data.
Since the Sun’s magnetic field’s amplitude and spatial configuration vary with time, the reduction in the number of solar spots can cause decay of electromagnetic radiation from the Sun, which in turn results in cold or “Little Ice Age”, explain the scientists.
During Cycle 26, which covers the decade from 2030-2040, the two waves will become exactly out of synch and this will cause a significant reduction in solar activity.
Dr. Helen Popova from the Skobeltsyn Institute of Nuclear Physics and from the Faculty of Physics in the Lomonosov Moscow State University said that given the fact that our future would last at a minimum for three solar cycles or more (around 30 years), it is possible, that the temperature would not drop as low as during the course of the Maunder minimum. But they would have to examine it in detail.
The “little ice age” happened in the 17th century in Europe may have been caused by ash from volcanic eruptions, an article from Washington post reported. The Sun’s magnetic field is growing, which means that there is a decrease in the flux of cosmic rays and this increases the number of clouds which leads back to warming. Next comes the reverse process, where the magnetic field of the Sun decreases, the intensity of cosmic ray rises, reducing the clouds and making the atmosphere cool again.
Zharkova is openly skeptical that human activity is the driving force behind the recent warming of the planet.
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“However, even if human activities influence the climate, we can say, that the Sun with the new minimum gives humanity more time or a second chance to reduce their industrial emissions and to prepare, when the Sun will return to normal activity”, said Helen Popova.
