Global Warming (and cooling) is Cosmic!

Henrik Svensmark, not to be outdone, even by himself, has done it again! 

Attentive Global Warming followers will recall that Svensmark is the author of major studies of the effects of our star’s variable magnetic field on the rate of cosmic ray penetration of the Earth’s atmosphere. Cosmic rays affect climate in that they serve as the impetus for cloud formation. During periods of low solar magnetic activity, more cosmic rays penetrate the atmosphere, creating more clouds, thus lowering global temperatures.

In a new paper, Svensmark has expanded this thesis beyond the solar system to the cosmic mechanics of our galaxy and beyond. He has demonstrated strong correlations among the variable rate of supernova formation in nearby star clusters over the past 510 million years, with patterns of climate variation on Earth, especially with periodic ice ages, based on fossil evidence of variation in overall biodiversity. Svenmark’s paper is available here. (NOTE: this is a highly technical paper, requiring advanced math and statistics. Caveat emptor.)

This paper echos evidence available that global warming (and cooling) is not restricted to our planet Earth alone. The same patterns of climate variability appear on Mars, for one, and other planets, which are exhibiting Global Warming, if that’s what it is, right now. So either Svensmark is on to something, or we have somehow, transmitted the virus of Global Warming to Mars on our various and sundry probes of the Ancient Red Planet.


One could argue, I suppose, that humans, being made of star stuff, are somehow responsible for supernova explosions in far off star clusters, or at least co-conspirators, just as much as we are responsible for emitting a tiny whiff of CO2 into our own atmosphere. 

Therein madness lies.