Will there be a mini Ice Age in 2030?

Between 1650 and 1915 it was produced in the Land the call “Little Ice Age”: a period of extremely low solar activity in the northern hemisphere which, combined with cooling from volcanic aerosols, caused lower surface temperatures.

Among the consequences of this drop in global heat, Alpine villages were devastated by the unstoppable advance of the glaciers or Londoners were able to skate on the Thames, for example. For a few years, some scientists have warned that a similiar situation could occur around the 2030s. What is true in here?

Now, NASA itself has wanted to refute the predictions of the next “Mini Ice Age” due to the expected -and proven- decrease in the energy production of our star in the coming decades. That is to say: yes there will be a «Grand Solar Minimum», but it will not affect the Earth, already superheated by the effect of climate change.

Ice Age

Throughout its lifetime, the Sun undergoes natural changes in energy production. Some occur during a normal period of 11 peak years (many sunspots) and low activity (fewer sunspots), which are fairly predictable, which is called “solar cycle”.

However, from time to time, our star becomes quieter, shows many fewer sunspots and emits less energy. This phenomenon is known as the “Great Solar Minimum”, and the last time this happened, it actually coincided with the “little ice age” from the end of the Middle Ages until almost the end of the 19th century.

For this reason, some scientists have heralded this new “Little Ice Age.” However, other researchers point out that this drop in temperatures would only offset three years of current growth in carbon dioxide concentration (CO2), which produces the opposite effect.

“So a new Grand Solar Minimum would only serve to offset a few years of warming caused by human activities.”they affirm in a statement from the space agency through the Blog Ask Nasa Climate.

Global warming

In fact, the warming caused by greenhouse gas emissions from human burning of fossil fuels is six times greater than the possible cooling from decades of prolonged solar minimum. Moreover, even if a Grand Solar Minimum lasted a centurythe global temperatures will continue to rise.

And this happens because the fact that the Earth warms not only depends on the energy production of the Sun, but also on what we humans do on its surface.

And, today, our greenhouse gas emissions are the main driver of rising temperatures, they indicate from NASA. In other words, a new “mini Ice Age” will not make much of a difference and will not even help mitigate the phenomena of climate change.

Font: ABC

Reference article: https://www.abc.es/ciencia/abci-llegara-mini-edad-hielo-2030-nasa-refuta-esta-teoria-202005250251_noticia.html