Is The Sun Causing The Current Climate Change?

[Tim Smith]

Very probably no.

The sun can change climate. Depressed solar activity has been associated with low temperatures on earth.

The sun's activity is also generally increasing during this time of increasing activities.

But when scientists have tried to match up variation in the sun's output to temperature changes here on earth, they don't correlate. When the sun backs off on solar production these days, things don't get cooler here. In general, sun activity seems to have declined since 1980.

However, there is a minority of scientists who think solar activity could be responsible in part for the current rise in temperature. Some of those are at NASA. That group is using different methods to interpret satellite data. I have no access to that data and couldn't venture an opinion about it even if I did. That group, however, does still point to greenhouse gases as a major source of climate change, just as the IPCC agrees that solar activity is important and something that should be better understood. The majority view seems to be that both are important but at the moment, greenhouses gases seem to be the dominant force.

There's not any real evidence of a gradual temperature increase on Mars associated with solar activity or anything else. The best predictor of temperature on Mars seems to come from the size of dust storms there.

http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v446/n7136/abs/nature05718.html

[lee G.]

Dust storms, I would think that could factored in, but who knows?

Maybe IPCC has the right idea?

Would have no opinion if you had access to the data? WTF??

[Tim Smith]

Would have no opinion if you had access to the data? WTF??

Nope. No way would I try to interpret that data. They're arguing over how to interpret satellite data from two different observation systems and how to splice it together. I have no expertise in that area and couldn't interpret that particular data without more training than I'll ever have time to acquire. Most of the people who DO know how to interpret that data seem to come down on the side no large sun effect. More new information could swing the debate, but it hasn't appeared as yet.

[lee G.]

I find the no sun effect idea a little hard to take, it is after all the the major heat we have.

Why would they think the sun doesnt affect the plant?

I know the numbers they are looking at say the sun has no effect, but you have to be a idiot the believe that, lol

[Daryk Campbell Sr]

I try to stay out of these conversations. That being said, the question that follows is not a stab at anyone, anything, or to be taken personally or politically. We are constantly updating our technology and admitting that yesterday's technology is not accurate. How can we really trust the information that has been recorded 100 years ago, and compare it to the information we collect now? When doing science experiments you need to keep all items consistent, except for controls. I am not sure we are comparing apples to apples.

[lee G.]

In the 1800's it was a lot colder, they once grew grapes in england, and raised sheep in Greenland, so its been a lot warmer

[lee G.]

Thats my point Daryk, The question is we dont know what is happening because we cant measure it, and people are makeing money off of it

In a lab, NASA needed a 4 inch copper ball to find the temp to a degree, in a lab, so all temp reading in richland mo. might be a little off

[Riverwhy]

Climate changes are a natural part of this old world. If man has an effect I think it is minimal. I would like the current crop of politically biased scientists to concentrate on our real trouble spots. Clean water and clean air should be our focus. We could get a groundswell of support for a clean enironment. When we take our eye of the ball for political reasons and try a feel good approach of moving all carbon production to China and India so that we can pretend we love the environment we hurt real efforts to control pollution.

We all have lots to learn about how our climate works. In the mean time I would like to see everyone work together on our real sources of pollution.

[Justin Spencer]

Until a scientist can part the red sea, their "facts and figures" seem pretty far fetched to me.

[Mitch f]

I brought this point up a while back....both data collection and interpretation are totally subjective.