Image

Cosmic rays are causing global warming





Brief Responses to Climate Change Denialism Statements

CPSG 200 Science & Global Change Sophomore Colloquium

Rebutal of the claim that cosmic rays are causing global warming.

While placing the blame on these high-energy particles may seem appealing, it’s important to consider several factors. Firstly, this explanation hinges on the idea that the sun’s magnetic field has been increasing over time. This is not true. Though the sun has cycles in magnetic activity, in the relevant time frame, magnetic activity has only decreased. Now, you may say that the sun may not be bending the rays away, but the rays are still decreasing somehow and thus changing the climate. You’d be incorrect. Scientists have measured the number of cosmic rays over the years, and they have stayed relatively constant, even hitting record highs in 2012. Even if they were decreasing, their ability to influence climate is dubious at best. Though cosmic rays can indeed stimulate the formation of aerosols, scientists have found no connection between these aerosols and the formation of clouds. A correlation did seem to exist between cloud cover and cosmic rays from 1984 to 1991, but this correlation started to break down after 1991, and has since completely dissolved. Finally, there should have been some significant decrease in cloud cover for this to be a feasible cause of global warming. There has also been no evidence of this. This theory holds less water than the nonexistent clouds it centers around.

Graphics:

Anonymous. 14 October 2016 “Galactic Cosmic Rays vs. Temps”. Skeptical Science. Accessed 20 October 2018.
The graphic above refutes the claim that cosmic rays are causing global warming to occur. Shown above is the average galactic cosmic ray counts per minute (blue scale) from the Neutron Monitor Database which is graphed alongside the annual average global temperature (red scale) from NOAA NCDC. Noting the blue scale is inverted this shows both cosmic rays and temperature have been rising in the past decades disproving the hypothesis that a lack of cosmic rays is increasing temperatures globably.


For More Information:
Darling, S.B., D.L. Sisterson. 2014. How to Change Minds About our Changing Climate. The Experiment; New York, NY. 198pp.
Laut, Peter. 2003. Solar activity and terrestrial climate: an analysis of some purported correlations. Journal of Atmospheric and Solar-Terrestrial Physics, Technical University of Denmark. DK-2800.
Anonymous. 14 October 2016 “What’s the link between cosmic rays and climate change?”. Skeptical Science. Accessed 5 October 2018.


Contributed by: Helena Amberger, Alexander Berardo, Alexander Eng

Last modified: 21 October 2018