Solar Variability Weather And Climate

In Studies in Geophysics Solar Variability Weather and Climate, the Geophysics Research Board presents a collection of cutting-edge research on some of the most pressing issues facing our planet today. From the impact of solar radiation on the Earth's climate to the role of ocean currents in shaping weather patterns, this book offers a fascinating glimpse into the complex workings of our planet's natural systems. This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the "public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

The Earth's climate system depends entirely on the Sun for its energy. Solar radiation warms the atmosphere and is fundamental to atmospheric composition, while the distribution of solar heating across the planet produces global wind patterns and contributes to the formation of clouds, storms, and rainfall. The Sun’s Influence on Climate provides an unparalleled introduction to this vitally important relationship. This accessible primer covers the basic properties of the Earth’s climate system, the structure and behavior of the Sun, and the absorption of solar radiation in the atmosphere. It explains how solar activity varies and how these variations affect the Earth’s environment, from long-term paleoclimate effects to century timescales in the context of human-induced climate change, and from signals of the 11-year sunspot cycle to the impacts of solar emissions on space weather in our planet’s upper atmosphere. Written by two of the leading authorities on the subject, The Sun’s Influence on Climate is an essential primer for students and nonspecialists alike.

On September 8-9, 2011, experts in solar physics, climate models, paleoclimatology, and atmospheric science assembled at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) in Boulder, Colorado for a workshop to consider the Sun's variability over time and potential Sun-climate connections. While it does not provide findings, recommendations, or consensus on the current state of the science, The Effects of Solar Variability on Earth's Climate: A Workshop Report briefly introduces the primary topics discussed by presenters at the event. As context for these topics, the summary includes background information on the potential Sun-climate connection, the measurement record from space, and potential perturbations of climate due to long-term solar variability. This workshop report also summarizes some of the science questions explored by the participants as potential future research endeavors.

This book provides an updated overview of the processes determining the influence of solar forcing on climate. It discusses in particular the most recent developments regarding the role of aerosols in the climate system and the new insights that could be gained from the investigation of terrestrial climate analogues. The book’s structure mirrors that of the ISSI workshop held in Bern in June 2005.

Evidence from observations and paleoclimate records suggest that solar outputs, including solar irradiance and energy particles, belong to the fundamental natural forces of the climate system. It is consistent that the variation of solar irradiance on the orbital time scale controls glacial interglacial cycle. However, the contribution of solar output fluctuation due to solar activity to decadal to centennial climate change is still contradictory. The common driving force mechanism is then the key role of solar-climate linking research, and the mechanism of solar forcing and the pathway of amplification could be two key scientific problems in climate research. In recent years, a lot of studies have been done on the effects of solar activity on the climate, based on data analysis by observation/reanalysis or mechanism tracking by modeling. The interannual and decadal solar signals in the regional climate were found and the hypothesis of driving mechanisms was proposed. Meanwhile, the potential contribution of solar variability to the current climate prediction has attracted more and more attention. The purpose of this topic is to collect and reveal new results and new understandings about the impact of solar variability on climate.

Are variations in the energy generated by the Sun sufficient to modify the Earth's global environment at levels comparable to expected anthropogenic changes? Debated contentiously for more than a century, this question must now be posed with new urgency: the proper specification of natural global changes is a prerequisite for detecting anthropogenic impacts. Important advances over the past decade in our knowledge of the Sun and of the terrestrial responses to solar variability provides the basis for answering this question with unprecedented surety, but significant uncertainties remain. This book addresses current monitoring and understanding of solar influences on both the climate system and the ozone layer and prioritizes the research effort that will be needed to provide a sound scientific basis for policymaking related to global change issues.