New evidence that events in outer space affect the weather and climate of Earth has been revealed in a study by meteorologists at the University of Reading published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society on Wednesday 18 January.
In their paper ‘Empirical evidence for a non-linear effect of galactic cosmic rays on clouds’, Drs Giles Harrison and David Stephenson suggest that cosmic rays have a significant effect on the Earth’s lower atmosphere – particularly on levels of cloudiness.
The Reading meteorologists discovered that the chance of an overcast day decreases by 20% on days with low cosmic ray fluxes. The effect is strongest when low cosmic ray fluxes occur – this is often associated with solar flares, but may also result from changes outside the solar system.
“Back in 1959, Edward Ney suggested that variations in cosmic rays, which are charged particles mostly originating outside the solar system, could affect our weather,” said Dr Harrison. “This research now provides strong evidence supporting Ney’s suggestion, which effectively links atmospheric and space science.”
“As well as the influence of weather, our evidence shows a small yet statistically significant effect of cosmic rays on daily cloudiness. This suggests that cosmic rays are an additional external source of climate variability that should be considered when modelling past and future climate.”
To detect changes in the atmosphere from cosmic rays, Harrison and Stephenson used solar radiation measurements made by meteorological stations. They conducted a careful analysis of the UK archives of daily solar radiation observations from 1951-2004 and compared them with neutron counter cosmic ray measurements taken at Climax, Colorado, between 1951 and 2000.
Dr Giles Harrison | Source: alphagalileo
Further information: www.reading.ac.uk
More articles from Earth Sciences:
New Study in Geology Uses Satellite Imagery to Identify Active Magma Systems in East Africa’s Rift Valley
06.11.2009 | University of Miami’s Rosenstiel School
Education and Planning Cut Death Toll in Samoa Tsunami
06.11.2009 | Georgia Institute of Technology, Research Communications
Airborne nitrogen shifts aquatic nutrient limitation in pristine lakes
06.11.2009 | Studies and Analyses
Genome sequence for the domestic horse to be unveiled
06.11.2009 | Life Sciences
06.11.2009 | Earth Sciences
Texas Tech University Hosts Major Textile Conference in India
06.11.2009 | Event News
Brief Highlights of the Fluid Dynamics Conference, Minneapolis
30.10.2009 | Event News
EUROSAFE Forum 2009 Brussels: "Safety Implications of an Increased Demand for Nuclear Energy"
29.10.2009 | Event News