© Photo by Lena StromPossible 'Little Ice Age' for Ireland could last 11 years as sun cools
A United Kingdom-based forecaster Exacta Weather has issued a severe winter weather warning for 2011 - 2012. James Madden, from Exacta, said they have been correct over the last two years. This year they predict record breaking snowfall and freezing temperatures once again.
Madden said that as well as the lower solar activity, the dust and ash particles released by the recent volcanic eruptions in Iceland and Chile would also contribute to cooling down of global temperatures. He said, "Converted sulfur dioxide emissions from volcanic eruptions can also cause sunlight reflection in the atmosphere."
Comment: Not to mention other contributing factors, like comet dust.
Comet dust is electrically-charged and is causing the earth's rotation to slow marginally. The slowing of the rotation is reducing the magnetic field, opening earth to more dangerous cosmic radiation and stimulating more volcanism. The volcanism under the sea is heating the sea water which is heating the lower atmosphere and loading it with moisture.
The moisture hits the cooler upper atmosphere and contributes to a deadly mix that inevitably leads to an Ice Age, preceded for a short period by a rapid increase of greenhouse gases and "hot pockets" in the lower atmosphere, heavy rains, hail, snow, and floods.
He said the 2011-2012 winter "will be exceptionally cold and snowy with well below average temperatures. I fully expect to see records broken with the highlands of Scotland being once again particularly hard hit. It is therefore vital to start preparing now in terms of high energy bills and raising awareness amongst the most vulnerable and elderly people of society."
Research published in the journal Environmental Research Letters shows that cold winters in the United Kingdom and Ireland are more common when the sun's activity is low.
The researchers have measured temperatures during the recent winters. Their findings show that it has been markedly cooler than the long term average temperature. They used the Central England Temperature (CET) record, which dates back to mid-17th century to examine their findings.
Co-author Mike Lockwood, professor of space environment physics at the University of Reading, wrote about solar activity and its impact on the climate.
He wrote that, "Solar activity during the current sunspot minimum has fallen to levels unknown since the start of the 20th century. The Maunder minimum (about 1650 - 1700) was a prolonged episode of low solar activity which coincided with more severe winters in the United Kingdom and continental Europe. Motivated by recent relatively cold winters in the UK, we investigate the possible connection with solar activity," according to reports on Irish Weather Online.
INRE: the comments in the inset blue box about the slowing of the earth's rotation. It has slowed by 14 minutes since the first geo-positioning satellits were launched about 30 years ago. This has to be accounted for in the synchronization of systems that utilize this data in real time. Seems like a huge change, cosmically speaking...