Galactic Cosmic Rays, and why they matter...

Galactic Cosmic Rays are massively energetic particles that could be extremely dangerous to our planet if it wasn't for the protection our sun provides with it's Solar Wind. Some think Cosmic Rays also affect our climate and that the Grand Solar Minimum we're now entering might mean this effect will increase. This week we take a look at the science involved.


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Research links below...
https://skepticalscience.com/cosmic-r...
Skeptical Science Graphics by Skeptical Science is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License. Based on a work at www.skepticalscience.com.

https://academic.oup.com/astrogeo/art...

If you want to read the original 2011 CERN paper in full it is unfortunately behind a paywall at the following link
https://www.nature.com/articles/natur...

https://journals.ametsoc.org/doi/full...

https://science.sciencemag.org/conten...

https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.c...


https://climatefeedback.org/claimrevi...

https://home.cern/science/experiments...

https://home.cern/science/physics/cos...

https://www.carbonbrief.org/why-the-s...

http://www.srl.caltech.edu/personnel/...

http://berkeleyearth.org/land-and-oce...


Further papers and resources not quoted in the video...

Gordon et al 2017 - Causes and importance of new particle formation in the present‐day and preindustrial atmospheres
https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.c...

Pierce 2017 - Cosmic rays, aerosols, clouds, and climate: Recent findings from the CLOUD experiment
https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.c...


   • Richard Alley: "The Biggest Control K...  

https://www.wunderground.com/hurrican...

https://www.skepticalscience.com/cern...

From the AR5, WG1, Chapter 7, p. 573:
"Cosmic rays enhance new particle formation in the free troposphere, but the effect on the concentration of cloud condensation nuclei is too weak to have any detectable climatic influence during a solar cycle or over the last century (medium evidence, high agreement). No robust association between changes in cosmic rays and cloudiness has been identified. In the event that such an association existed, a mechanism other than cosmic ray-induced nucleation of new aerosol particles would be needed to explain it. {7.4.6}"
https://www.ipcc.ch/site/assets/uploa...


#cosmicrays #grandsolarminimum #climatecrisis