that solar energy variations
have more of an effect
on Earth's climate
than man made CO2.
But ...
the connection between the sun,
and the average global temperature
has been so inconsistent,
based on the limited data we have,
its possible we're not measuring
the solar attributes that really matter,
because:
(1)
There is no observed 11 year
average temperature cycle
to match the 11 year
average sunspot cycle.
(2)
The Maunder Minimum
in the late 1600s
did coincide with
below average temperatures,
and some famines in Europe,
but three other solar minimums
in the Little Ice Age period
did not.
I know sunspot counts
are not the same
as modern
satellite measurements
of TSI (total solar energy),
and temperature measurements
in England are not
a global average temperature
... so we do have limited data
for the Little Ice Age period.
The limited data show
not one of the four Little Ice Age
solar minimums
( very low sunspot
counts, used as a proxy
for low solar energy )
had the ideal temperature trend
one would expect if small solar
energy variations were important to
the average temperature of our planet.
The ideal "signature"
would be that
the solar minimum years
were colder than average,
and also got colder
as the minimum continued.
The Wolf Minimum
was not unusually cold,
but the temperature
did have the
expected downtrend.
It was unusually cold
a few decades BEFORE
the Sporer Minimum began,
perhaps the coldest period during
the Little Ice Age.
Then it was cold again when the
Sporer Minimum began,
but got warmer
during that minimum,
which makes no sense.
The Maunder Minimum
was generally cold,
but the got warmer
during the minimum,
which makes no sense.
The short Dalton Minimum
was not cold,
and the temperature
was warmer at the end,
not colder.
This all adds up to no obvious
correlations between the four
Little Ice Age Minimums and
England temperatures.
And also no obvious correlation
of the "11 year" sunspot cycle
and the global average temperature.
Note:
I used H. H. Lamb's
England Winter Severity index
as my primary source of
Little Ice Age temperatures:
