Solar Forcing of Regional Climate Change during the Maunder Minimum

• Published in: Science (American Association for the Advancement of Science) Vol. 294; no. 5549; pp. 2149 - 2152
• Main Authors: Shindell, Drew T., Schmidt, Gavin A., Mann, Michael E., Rind, David, Waple, Anne
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Washington, DC American Society for the Advancement of Science 07.12.2001; American Association for the Advancement of Science; The American Association for the Advancement of Science
• Subjects: Climate; Climate change; Climate models; Climatic changes; Climatology. Bioclimatology. Climate change; Cooling; Earth, ocean, space; Evidence; Exact sciences and technology; External geophysics; Geological time; History; Marine; Maunder minimum; Meteorology; Methane; Ocean temperature; Oceans; Organic Chemistry; Ozone; Solar irradiance; Stratosphere; Sun; Surface temperature; Temperature; Europe; AN, North Atlantic; Northern Hemisphere; PN, Arctic; North Atlantic oscillation; Atmospheric temperature; Arctic oscillation; Century 17th; Century 18th; Irradiance; Forcing; Solar radiation; Climate modification
• ISSN: 0036-8075; 1095-9203
• DOI: 10.1126/science.1064363

We examine the climate response to solar irradiance changes between the late 17th-century Maunder Minimum and the late 18th century. Global average temperature changes are small (about 0.3° to 0.4°C) in both a climate model and empirical reconstructions. However, regional temperature changes are quite large. In the model, these occur primarily through a forced shift toward the low index state of the Arctic Oscillation/North Atlantic Oscillation as solar irradiance decreases. This leads to colder temperatures over the Northern Hemisphere continents, especially in winter (1° to 2°C), in agreement with historical records and proxy data for surface temperatures.