There are many news outlets reporting on research by of a group of solar scientists who are now predicting that the earth will be plunged into a ‘mini-ice age’ in around fifteen years time. Professor Valentina Zharkova of the University of Northumbria, UK, will present about this at the National Astronomy Meeting in Llandudno, Wales this week.
New research has apparently made much more accurate predictions possible due to a new understanding of irregularities in the sun’s 11-year cycle.
Here’s a summary From a UPI article here: (http://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2015/07/11/Earth-heading-for-mini-ice-age-in-just-15-years-scientists-say/2751436649025/)
Researchers, saying they understand solar cycles better than ever, predict that the sun’s normal activity will decrease by 60 percent around 2030 — triggering the “mini ice age” that could last for a decade. The last time the Earth was hit by such a lull in solar activity happened 300 years ago, during the Maunder Minimum, which lasted from 1645 to 1715.
[…]“Combining both [magnetic] waves together and comparing to real data for the current solar cycle, we found that our predictions showed an accuracy of 97 percent,” Zharkova said.
We’ve heard a great deal over recent decades about how the earth is on track to heat up significantly over the next decades, but this is the first research I’ve heard recently that predicts a mini-ice age in the near future. Many people people are emphasizing that even though this cooling prediction may be accurate, it does not affect the long-term warming predictions based on increases in greenhouse gases.
However, a period significant global cooling could cause many difficulties around the world, with an increased need for fuel to survive periods of extended cold — and if cooling negatively affects crop yields there could be a lot of pressure on food supplies.
Andrea Rossi said just yesterday on the Journal of Nuclear Physics when I asked him about his goals for the E-Cat:
“I want to see the E-Cats make heat in all the world and this will be the first wave ( F9). This in homes and industries. The second wave will produce electric power. After this, will see in the crystal ball. Our weapon will be the competitiveness (F9)”
Maybe the first wave will be accomplished within 15 years to help us cope with much cooler weather, should the predictions of these solar scientists be accurate.