The Earth may be overtaken by an ice age again, according to experts observing the solar weather. In their opinion, a situation is not excluded when the solar minimum may last until the 2050s.
Sunspot activity on the Sun's surface follows the well-known but poorly understood 11-year cycle. Activity rises and falls, creating what is called a solar maximum and then a solar minimum. During solar maximum, the Sun is more powerful and dotted with sunspots.
Conversely, when the Sun enters the solar minimum, which is believed to have entered about two years ago, the energy from our leading star begins to decrease.
However, one of the scientists today is confident that this year the Sun will enter a period of 'hibernation', which is called the 'Great Solar Minimum' (GSM). In this case, the cycle will not be limited to eleven years.
This is Professor Valentina Zharkova from the Department of Mathematics, Physics and Electrical Engineering at the University of Northumbria. She warned that such an event could lead to a drop in global temperature by one degree Celsius. While this sounds like a minor decline, it could have serious consequences for the planet, including a slowdown in agricultural production.
The expert added that the sun's hibernation period could last for three decades, resulting in a wetter and colder summer. Here's what she reported for The Sun:
'The sun is approaching a dormant period. Less sunspots will form on the surface of the sun, and, therefore, less energy and radiation will reach the planets of our system and the Earth. A decrease in temperature will lead to cold weather on Earth, wet and cold summers, cold and wet winters. This year we will start GSM and will last for at least 33 years. '
The last such GSM, which according to preliminary data occurs every 400 years, appeared in the 17th century. This was reported by NASA in 2006:
'From 1650 to 1710, temperatures across much of the Northern Hemisphere dropped sharply when the Sun entered a quiescent phase, now called the Maunder Minimum.
During this period, very few sunspots appeared on the surface of the Sun, and the overall brightness of the Sun decreased slightly. '
'During the coldest period, called the Little Ice Age, Europe and North America froze over: Alpine glaciers extended over valleys; sea ice crawled south of the Arctic; and the famous channels in the Netherlands were regularly frozen – an event that is rare today. '
During this period, temperatures in the Northern Hemisphere on land and in winter were reported to have been 1.3 ° C cooler, resulting in shorter seasons and ultimately food shortages, which NASA says is called the 'small glacial period'.
According to Professor Zharkova, people can only hope that the mini-ice age will not be as severe as during the Maunder minimum. This will greatly affect food harvesting in mid-latitudes because vegetables and fruits will not have enough time to harvest, which can lead to food shortages for humans and animals.
