Wednesday, September 7, 2011
Cosmic rays and climate change
Researchers at CERN have recently demonstrated that cosmic rays may have an effect on ionizing some compounds in the Earth's atmosphere. Their data show changes on compounds that are too small to act as seeds for cloud formation - some have theorized that cosmic rays could spur cloud formation, cooling the atmosphere. If so, then during periods of low sun activity (low cosmic rays), the Earth would heat up due to decreased cloud cover. While research from CERN indicates that cosmic rays have the potential to be a climate forcer (similar to the sun's luminosity and sunspots), the data do not support the theory that cosmic rays are the primary cause of climate warming and cooling: