Climate

How unusual is today's solar activity?

Nature volume 436, pagesE3–E4(2005)Cite this article

Article metrics

Abstract

Arising from: S. K. Solanki, I. G. Usoskin, B. Kromer, M. Schüssler & J. Beer Nature 431, 1084–1087 (2004); Solanki et al. reply.

To put global warming into context requires knowledge about past changes in solar activity and the role of the Sun in climate change. Solanki et al.1 propose that solar activity during recent decades was exceptionally high compared with that over the preceding 8,000 years. However, our extended analysis of the radiocarbon record reveals several periods during past centuries in which the strength of the magnetic field in the solar wind was similar to, or even higher than, that of today.

Access options

Rent or Buy article

Get time limited or full article access on ReadCube.

from$8.99

Rent or Buy

All prices are NET prices.

Figure 1: Measured atmospheric 14CO2:12CO2 and 13CO2:12CO2 ratios and model results for δ13C from AD 1500 to 1950.
Figure 2: Radiocarbon production rate and solar modulation parameter compared with the group sunspot number.

References

  1. 1

    Solanki, S. K., Usoskin, I. G., Kromer, B., Schüssler, M. & Beer, J. Nature 431, 1084–1087 (2004).

  2. 2

    Beer, J. Space Sci. Rev. 93, 107–119 (2000).

  3. 3

    McCracken, K. G. & Heikkila, B. in Proc. 28th Int. Cosmic Ray Conf. 2003, Tsukuba, Japan 4117–4120 (Univ. Acad. Press, Tokyo, 2003).

  4. 4

    Stuiver, M., Reimer, P. J. & Braziunas, T. F. Radiocarbon 40, 1127–1151 (1998).

  5. 5

    McCormac, F. G. et al. Radiocarbon 44, 641–651 (2002).

  6. 6

    Siegenthaler, U. J. Geophys. Res. 88, 3599–3608 (1983).

  7. 7

    Joos, F. et al. Tellus B 48, 397–417 (1996).

  8. 8

    Masarik, J. & Beer, J. J. Geophys. Res. 104, 12099–12111 (1999).

  9. 9

    Yang, S., Odah, H. & Shaw, J. Geophys. J. Int. 140, 158–162 (2000).

  10. 10

    Gerber, S. et al. Clim. Dynam. 20, 281–299 (2003).

  11. 11

    Bard, E., Raisbeck, G. M., Yiou, F. & Jouzel, J. Tellus B 52, 985–992 (2000).

  12. 12

    Muscheler, R., Beer, J., Kubik, P. W. & Synal, H. -A. Quat. Sci. Rev. 24, 1849–1860 (2005).

  13. 13

    Snowball, I. & Sandgren, P. Earth Planet. Sci. Lett. 227, 361–376 (2004).

  14. 14

    Francey, R. J. et al. Tellus B 51, 170–193 (1999).

  15. 15

    Hoyt, D. V. & Schatten, K. H. Solar Phys. 179, 189–219 (1998).

Download references

Author information

Affiliations

  1. Climate and Global Dynamics Division, National Center for Atmospheric Research, Paleoclimatology, Boulder, 80305-3000, Colorado, USA

    • Raimund Muscheler

  2. Climate and Environmental Physics, Physics Institute, University of Bern, Bern, 3012, Switzerland

    • Fortunat Joos
    •  & Simon A. Müller

  3. GeoBiosphere Science Centre, Quaternary Sciences, Lund University, Lund, 22362, Sweden

    • Ian Snowball

Authors

  1. Search for Raimund Muscheler in:

  2. Search for Fortunat Joos in:

  3. Search for Simon A. Müller in:

  4. Search for Ian Snowball in:

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Raimund Muscheler.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and Permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Muscheler, R., Joos, F., Müller, S. et al. How unusual is today's solar activity?. Nature 436, E3–E4 (2005) doi:10.1038/nature04045

Download citation

Further reading

Comments

By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.