The Climate and the Sun

The common sense wisdom from down the ages has indicated that the sun affects our climate, and now after considerable study scientists agree. At the Lund University in Sweden a study has reconstructed solar activity during the last ice age and this is helping researchers better understand how the sun affects regional climate.By understanding exactly how the energy of the sun reaches out to affect the climate in our region it would be possible to better forecast the weather.

Raimund Muscheler, Lecturer in Quaternary Geology at Lund University said that the study shows an unexpected link between solar activity and climate change. It shows both that changes in solar activity are nothing new and that solar activity influences the climate, especially on a regional level. Understanding these processes helps us to better forecast the climate in certain regions Raimund concluded.

Currently there is much debate on just how the sun’s level of activity affects our climate on earth. It is believed that reduced activity may lead to colder winters, while others say that atmospheric circulation has a far greater effect on the weather. While the scientists debate what causes the greatest climatic change, studies like this one prove that no single scientific study will adequately answer these questions.