Solar wind
Solar wind consists of particles, usually electrons and protons, continually streaming away from the corona of the Sun.[1] The solar wind has a magnetic field effect on cosmic rays and thus on cloud coverage.[2]
The solar wind creates the Heliosphere, a bubble in the interstellar medium surrounding the solar system.[3] Solar wind also creates the aurora or "Northern Lights", and causes the tails of comets to always point away from the sun.
The solar wind is extremely sparse, containing only a few fast moving particles per cubic centimeter at the Earth. Normally by the time it reaches Earth, it is composed of around 1-10 protons per cubic centrimeter.[1] These travel extremely quickly, at 350-700 km/s.[1] However, during solar flares, the proton flux and velocity increases greatly. The exact geometry and extent of the solar wind is not well known.
Effect on the earth's clouds
- Svensmark and Friis-Christensen (1997) have shown that global cloud cover, observed by satellites, is linked to the strength of galactic cosmic rays modulated by the solar wind (r = 0.95).[4]
See also
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Solar wind from britannica.com
- ↑ Nature, Not Human Activity, Rules the Climate from sepp.org
- ↑ The Heliosphere from helios.gsfc.nasa.gov
- ↑ Solar Wind Near Earth: Indicator of Variations in Global Temperature from mitosyfraudes.org
