Final: Temperature Spotting -- Sunspots & Climate

This topic submitted by Greene, Rob; Evenson, Grey; Dudley, Alex. (EVENSOGR@muohio.edu; greenerr@muohio.edu; dudleyah@muohio.edu) at 7:15 PM on 10/17/02. Additions were last made on Wednesday, December 10, 2008. Section: Nicholson

Natural Systems 1 Fall, 2002 -Western Program-Miami University

Temperature Spotting: the relationship between sunspot activity and temperature

1. Introduction

The purpose of our lab is to investigate the relationship between sunspot activity and the Earth’s temperature. We hypothesize that the level of sunspot activity affects the temperature on Earth, and predict that a large amount of sunspots will correlate to a higher average temperature on Earth, and vice versa.

We decided to investigate sunspot activity after discussing a study with Kevin Czajkowski at the University of Toledo. His study suggests that the level of energy produced by the Sun is in fluctuation, creating abnormal weather patterns and perhaps causing the global warm-up. We hope to investigate this theory with our own lab.
Czajkowski’s study takes the responsibility for global warming out of the hands of the businesses and individuals who release "greenhouse gases" into the atmosphere. We are interested in investigating this suggestion and ascertaining if sunspots could contribute to global warming, although we do not believe that sunspot activity alone is responsible for the current climate change.

2. Background Information
The sun is "a mass of incandescent gas, a gigantic nuclear furnace where hydrogen is built into helium at a temperature of millions of degrees" (They). Energy produced in the sun’s core moves outwards through radiation and, in "the outer 20% or so" of the sun, convection currents which also generate the magnetic field which "extends out into the sun's corona" (Exploratorium).
A sunspot is visible as "a dark part of the sun's surface" that is about one-third cooler than its surroundings because "a strong magnetic field there... inhibits the transport of heat via convective motion in the sun" (Exploratorium).
Although research is still ongoing as to the link between sunspot activity and the sun’s total energy output, a period of unusually low sunspot activity from 1645-1715 known as the Maunder Minimum coincided with a period of severe cold temperatures in Europe (Ribes 550). This led to the theory that sunspots arise when the Sun's energy output is higher than normal (Geerts). For further reading on the Maunder Minimum and associated climate variations, we recommend J.A. Eddy’s "The Maunder Minimum" and "The Maunder minimum: a reappraisal", along with J. C. Ribes’ "The solar sunspot cycle in the Maunder minimum AD1645 to AD1715" and DV Hoyt’s "The Role of the Sun in Climate Change". A diagram at SUNY, reproduced from Schaefer’s article, "Sunspots that Changed the World", provides a visual approach to the effects of the Maunder Minimum.

3. Materials and Methods
We plan on using Professor Hayes’ telescope to make our sunspot measurements twice a week, every week of our lab. We will point the lens of the telescope directly at the sun, directing the image of the sun onto a piece of paper positioned at the end of the eyepiece (we will be certain not to look through the eyepiece at the Sun, as this would cause significant damage to our eyes). The sunspots should be obvious within the outline of the sun projected onto our sheet of paper. We will trace the image projected onto the paper and keep it in addition to our data sheets.
Every day we will take note of the temperature readings at Professor Hayes’ weather station, along with notes of any precipitation or cloud cover that might affect the recordings. We may also use the GLOBE website (a program in which schools all over the world keep weather data) -- this will give us many more readings and allow us to look at the global temperature variations over time rather than merely the temperature variations at one location.
We will average the temperature data for each location into a weekly average temperature, and average the two sunspot counts into one weekly sunspot count. By comparing sunspot counts and temperatures from week to week, we will be able to determine if there is a correlation between an increase in sunspot numbers and an increase in temperature.
If the weather is so poor that we cannot take any sunspot measurements, we will use Nancy's "water jug photon fluctuation lab", the instructions for which we will be provided with.

Step By Step Methods:
Group One: Sunbspot Observers
1: Obtain Telescope & Solar Filter (to prevent melting the optics).
2: Align telescope so image of sun is projected onto a piece of paper. Adjust focus until image of sun is large & clear enough to see the sunspots & sketch them.
3: Draw the sun on the piece of paper the image is projected onto -- follow the outlines projected onto the sheet of paper.
4: Count the sunspots. Note if sunspots are clustered or individual on data sheet.

Group Two: Weather Observers
1: Take three temperature readings outside Boyd Hall; average them out. Record average temperature on data sheet.
2: Observe weather conditions -- cloud cover (by estimated % of cloud covering sky), type & amount of precipitation, wind on the beaufort scale & any other conditions.
3: Record level of cloud cover on data sheet; record precipitation, wind etc. under "other conditions".

4: Data Sheets

Date/Time Temperature Cloud Coverage Sunspot # Other Conditions
1
2
3
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5: Research Timeline
Week 9 (10/16-10/18) Obtain telescope & solar filter
Weeks 10 through 12 (10/23-11/8) Sunspot & Temperature observations
Week 13 (11/13-11/15) Research Review and Analysis

6. Literature Cited
Burroughs, W.J. Weather cycles: Real or Imaginary. New York, NY, USA : Cambridge University Press, 1992.
Czajkowski, Kevin. Personal Interview. November 25, 2001.
Coyne, GV. Sunspots: The Historical Background in Sonett, CP et al (eds): The Sun In Time. Tucson : University of Arizona Press, 1991.
Eddy, J.A. 1976, The Maunder Minimum, Science, 192, 1189-1203.
Eddy, J.A. Climate And The Role Of The Sun (1981, in Rotberg).
Eddy, J.A. 1983, The Maunder Minimum: a Reappraisal, Solar Phys., 89, 195-207.
Exploratorium.edu. Modern research: Sunspots. http://www.exploratorium.edu/sunspots/research.html 25 September 2002.
Geerts, B and E. Linacre. Sunspots And Climate. Reproduced at uwyo.edu.
Hoyt, DV. Variations in Sunspot Structure And Climate. Climactic Change, 2 (1979): 79-92.
Hoyt, D.V. & Schatten, K.H. 1997, The Role of the Sun in Climate Change, Oxford University Press.
Lane, LJ, MH Nichols and HB Osborn. Time Series analysis of global change data. Environ. Pollut, 83 (1994): 63-68.
Naked eye sunspots. ips.gov.au. 25 September 2002.
Ribes, J. C., and Nesme-Ribes, E. 1993, The Solar Sunspot Cycle in the Maunder Minimum AD1645 to AD1715, Astronomy and Astrophysics, 276, 549-563.
Rotberg, I and TK Rabb (eds). Climate And History. Princeton University Press: Princeton. 1981.
Schaefer, Bradley E., 1997, "Sunspots that Changed the World," Sky & Telescope, May: Pp. 34-38.
They Might Be Giants - Why Does the Sun Shine? (The Sun Is a Mass of Incandescent Gas). Severe Tire Damage. August 11, 1998. Restless Records.