(Newswire.net — July 13, 2015) — Llandudno, UK – It has been known for almost two centuries that the Sun has cyclic activities every 10-12 years. The true nature of the Sun’s activity is still relatively unknown, however, solar scientists predicted that the Sun would be less active in next cycle, so it will produce less heat which will induce lower temperatures on Earth. That phenomenon caused a mini ice age some 370 years ago, and will do the same within the next 15 to 20 years, Digital Journal cited scientists at a National Astronomy Meeting.
Professor Valentina Zharkova and her colleagues from the University of Northumbria, presented their findings in Llandudno, Wales (UK), at the Royal Astronomical Society’s National Astronomy Meeting 2015.
According to Professor Zharkova, who researched convex fluids deep within the Sun’s layers, magnetic wave components appear in pairs, originating in two different layers in the Sun’s interior. Both cycles have an 11 year frequency, however, they are “slightly different, and they are offset by time.”
Zharkova’s team created a computer model that analyzes variables such as activities of the Sun’s spots, solar cycles of magnetic fields and the observation data from 1976-2008. They also collected the data from the Wilcox Solar Observatory in California.
The team of researchers, led by professor Zharkova, managed to create a model that can predict with 97 percent accuracy which cycle will appear. Researchers using this data are now able to anticipate the Sun’s activity, and this has led Zharkova to make an astounding prediction – between 2030 and 2040, the planet Earth will face the small ice age or “Maunder Minimum.”
Zharkova said the two solar magnetic waves will be directly opposite each other, essentially cancelling each other out and causing around 60 percent less solar activity.
“In cycle 26, the two waves exactly mirror each other — peaking at the same time but in opposite hemispheres of the Sun. Their interaction will be disruptive, or they will nearly cancel each other. We predict that this will lead to the properties of a ‘Maunder minimum’,” said Zharkova.
So, how cold exactly could this miniature ice age be? Historic documents report that during last Maunder Minimum, which happened between 1650 and 1710, the river Thames in London was completely frozen, and it was possible to cross it on foot. In the same period, the US recorded its longest winters and lowest temperatures.
The study was been published in the journal Royal Astronomical Society on July 9, 2015, under the title: “Irregular heartbeat of the Sun driven by double dynamo”