The Goldilocks Planet

The four billion year story of earth's climate

Jan Zalasiewicz & Mark Williams, Central, 551.609 Z22G 2012


Skimmed.

I looked more closely at the discussion of the Maunder (sunspot) Minimum ( p220-223 ) and "The early Anthropocene hypothesis" ( p232-237 ). What evidence is available to estimate past climate, particularly temperature? And where and when? Calibrated thermometers did not appear until the 1750s, and systematic records until the 1850s in western Europe and the east-coast United States; a very small slice of time and space.

The Maunder Minimum from 1645 to 1715 correlates with the middle of the Little Ice Age starting in 1300 to 1550 (disagreement on labeling) and ending around 1850.

The book claims (p221) that increased sunspot activity strengthens the earth's magnetic shield (huh?) which blocks cosmic rays. Cosmic rays can nucleate water droplets and make clouds ... no sunspots, more clouds.


Later References

GoldilocksPlanet (last edited 2018-02-04 07:16:22 by KeithLofstrom)