Cosmic Rays and Global Weather
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Cosmic Rays and Global Weather
Contents |
Correlation between Global Warming and Cosmic Rays
According to an article by Henrik Svensmark, a weather scientist at the Danish National Space Center, there is a controversial theory that states that cosmic rays have a more significant impact on global warming than carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases. Global warming is caused when the sun rays are trapped by the Earth's atmosphere. More heat is prevented from escaping when there is a greater amount of clouds within the atmosphere. As shown in Figure 1, cosmic rays help produce clouds by ionizing the atmosphere. Nearby water molecules are attracted and condense to form clouds. [1]
A follow-up study done by Bago and Butler tested the claims of Svensmark and Friss-Christensen. Their findings were that excluding the most recent decades, much of the warming of the past century can be quantitatively accounted for by the direct and indirect effects of solar activity. [2]
Correlation between Cloud Coverage and Cosmic Rays
The hypothesis of a correaltion between cosmic rays and Earth's cloud cover was first proposed by Svensmark and Friss-Christensen in 1997. Some further research revealed that there is indeed a possiibility of a connection between cosmic rays and cloud coverage. If the correlation is indeed true, it would cause an important explanation of solar cycles and global climate.[3] The theory would also provide more answers to whether if global climate change is partially due to the cosmic rays.
After analyzing data from various satellites to calculate the cloud cover otherwise known as the International Satellite Cloud Climatology Project (ISCCP), it was matched to the cosmic ray data. The result, as seen on Figure 2, was almost an exact match. Although the data spans only about 15 years, the correlatoin is evident from the graph.
Controversy
However, the correlation between cosmic rays and cloud cover is being disputed strongly. More recent satellite data show that the correlation after 1993 drops significantly. The new data suggested that the correlation may have been a coincidence. Some studies disputed the methods that measurered cloud cover, and argued that a correction to the cloud data revealed taht there is little correlation. [4]
As there is no definitive answer, a great deal of additional research must be done to further evaluate any possible correlation between cosmic rays and cloud cover.
There are also data gaps with the cloud cover. It is impossible to monitor global cloud coverage continously due to hardware limitations.
How Clouds Form
Experiments
Cosmic Ray Intensity vs. Elevation
Questions
Why do high level and low level clouds effect global temperature?
Why is there a difference in the effects of different altitude clouds? Structure or Altitude?
Does the ionization trail change with different atmospheric conditions?
Does the ionization trail change at different heights (stages in the shower), independently of atmospheric conditions.
Is the effect of cosmic rays on cloud formation greatest when the ionization peaks?
What would be the difference (Global warming and ionization) between having uniformly distributed smaller clusters of water molecules in the atmosphere as opposed to larger clusters of the molecules (Clouds)?
How would you measure the nucleation of water droplets? (Shine light with different intensities through and measure how much it scatters?)
Would there be any other methods besides light to measure nucleation?
What other sources would create ionization in the environment? (Ionizing gases such as Helium in an enclosed area and looking at the effects of highly electronegative compounds such as Sulfur Dioxide and Sulfur Monoxide?)
