Uh-oh!

Fro those in the lower 48 who are bemoaning the mild winter we have been enjoying (so far!), there is this cautionary tale from the UK Daily Mail :

Forget global warming - it's Cycle 25 we need to worry about (and if NASA scientists are right the Thames will be freezing over again)

The supposed ‘consensus’ on man-made global warming is facing an inconvenient challenge after the release of new temperature data showing the planet has not warmed for the past 15 years.

The figures suggest that we could even be heading for a mini ice age to rival the 70-year temperature drop that saw frost fairs held on the Thames in the 17th Century.

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According to a paper issued last week by the Met Office, there is a 92 per cent chance that both Cycle 25 and those taking place in the following decades will be as weak as, or weaker than, the ‘Dalton minimum’ of 1790 to 1830. In this period, named after the meteorologist John Dalton, average temperatures in parts of Europe fell by 2C.

However, it is also possible that the new solar energy slump could be as deep as the ‘Maunder minimum’ (after astronomer Edward Maunder), between 1645 and 1715 in the coldest part of the ‘Little Ice Age’ when, as well as the Thames frost fairs, the canals of Holland froze solid.

Can you say "Hans Brinker"?

This is NOT the Climate Change we were looking for.

Go on and read the whole thing, as they say, but have a warm drink handy while you do.

Forget Global Warming (a hoax) and Start Worrying About Global COOLING!

Anthony Watts of Watts Up With That? has a breaking story from the AAS (American Astronomical Society): Sun’s Fading Spots Signal Big Drop in Solar Activity

Mr. Watts quotes Space.com on the three (3) studies which indicate that wee could be in for some global cooling and NOT warming because, you know, the SUN provides us with heat and it will be taking a nap for a short period if the researchers are correct.

Some unusual solar readings, including fading sunspots and weakening magnetic activity near the poles, could be indications that our sun is preparing to be less active in the coming years.

The results of three separate studies seem to show that even as the current sunspot cycle swells toward the solar maximum, the sun could be heading into a more-dormant period, with activity during the next 11-year sunspot cycle greatly reduced or even eliminated.

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The Maunder Minimum, a period roughly spanning 1645 to 1715 when sunspots were extremely rare, is believed to have triggered The Little Ice Age. Alpine glaciers swept down valleys creating refugees out of the mountain people. And Hans Brinker skating on the Dutch canals?

How about the Dalton Minimum (1790-1830)? It too produced lower temperatures and, with the increase of volcanic activity, produced the Year Without a Summer, 1816.

So start knitting your sweaters now. Drive your SUVs as much as you want. Store up on 100W incandescent light bulbs. We may need all the warmth we can muster.