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New Paper Supports a Cosmic Rays-Clouds-Climate Link
A new paper published in the journal Geology gives some support to a link between Galactic Cosmic Rays, cloud formation and climate. The paper by Mads Faurschou Knudsen and Peter Riisager is entitled, ‘Is there a link between Earth’s magnetic field and low-latitude precipitation?’
The Abstract states:
Some studies indicate that the solar modulation of galactic cosmic ray (GCR) particles has profound consequences for Earth’s climate system. A corollary of the GCR-climate theory involves a link between Earth’s magnetic field and climate, since the geomagnetic field also modulates the GCR flux reaching Earth’s atmosphere. In this study, we explore this potential geomagnetic-climate link by comparing a new reconstruction of the Holocene geomagnetic dipole moment with high-resolution speleothem data from China and Oman. The speleothem 18O data represent proxy records for past precipitation in low-latitude regions, which is a climate parameter that is likely to have been sensitive to variations in the GCR flux modulated by the dipole moment. Intriguingly, we observe a relatively good correlation between the high-resolution speleothem 18O records and the dipole moment, suggesting that Earth’s magnetic field to some degree influenced low-latitude precipitation in the past. In addition to supporting the notion that variations in the geomagnetic field may have influenced Earth’s climate in the past, our study also provides some degree of support for the controversial link between GCR particles, cloud formation, and climate.
The paper is also covered by spacedaily.com in an article entitled, ‘The earth’s magnetic field impacts climate: Danish study.’