Open AccessAncient observations link changes in Sun's brightness and Earth's climate
Author(s) -
Pang Kevin D.,
Yau Kevin K.
Publication year - 2002
Publication title -
eos, transactions american geophysical union
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.316
H-Index - 86
eISSN - 2324-9250
pISSN - 0096-3941
DOI - 10.1029/2002eo000336
Subject(s) - brightness , sunspot , solar irradiance , atmospheric sciences , climate change , irradiance , astrobiology , polar , planet , abundance (ecology) , climatology , environmental science , geology , geography , astronomy , oceanography , physics , ecology , quantum mechanics , magnetic field , biology
From the frequencies of sunspot and aurora sightings, abundance of carbon‐14 in the rings of long‐lived trees, and beryllium‐10 in the annual ice layers of polar ice cores, we have reconstructed the history of a variable Sun. In the last 1,800 years, the Sun has gone through nine cycles of changes in brightness. While these long‐term variations account for less than 1%of the total irradiance, there is clear evidence that they affect the Earth's climate.