Here Comes the Sun, Doot n Doo Doo
Scientists clueless? When Leonardo was on top of it all those centuries ago?
Amazingly, one of the best techniques for measuring Earth’s albedo is to watch the Moon, which acts like a giant mirror. Sunlight that reflects of Earth in turn reflects off the Moon and can be measured from here. The phenomenon, called earthshine, was first noted by Leonardo da Vinci.
They are still working up the definitive paper on moonshine and it’s effects. You should have seen the grant request for that one! (Well, actually, Harry Reid did, but that’s a whole ‘nuther post. I’d provide a link, but it hasn’t made MSNBC’S radar yet. Go figure.)
Anyway, these two Duke rocket scientists have upset the Kyoto Cabal by publishing a paper online, which has the begonias and kumquats to suggest that that big, old hot (for non-rocket scientists, that would be a surface temp of 6,000°C (11,000°F).), flaming ball of molten goo on the horizon might have something to do with Global Warming! Horse puckey, you say? They beg to differ, even going so far as to infer that maybe there hadn’t been enough measuring over a long enough period.
The new study is based in part on Columbia University research from 2003 in which scientists found errors in how data on solar brightness is interpreted. A gap in data, owing to satellites not being deployed after the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster, were filled by less accurate data from other satellites, Scafetta says.
The Duke analyses examined solar changes over 22 years versus 11 years used in previous studies. The cooling effect of volcanoes and cyclical shifts in ocean currents can have a greater negative impact on the accuracy of shorter data periods.
The conservative impact?
“The Sun may have minimally contributed about 10 to 30 percent of the 1980-2002 global surface warming,” the researchers said in a statement today.
There are enterprising folks out there, wracking their brains for fixes, everything from a “space ring” around the earth made of particles, to the Big Lots version called “Ring of Tiny Space Craft“;
Deploying tiny spacecraft would come at a relative bargain: a mere $500 billion tops.
Well, thank God someone’s on top of it. I can’t wait to hear the howls, if this angle ever makes it to, oh, say…MSNBC or somebody.
Public Service Announcement | Mr. Bingley | 
September 30, 2005 5:39 pm
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Hmm. All those years I lived near Capitola, I should have been paying closer attention. I missed all the good dirty fun.
Grant requests for a paper on moonshine. Huh. It was only the one time down in North Carolina but heck, I’d give it a shot. Where do I apply?
There’s been a lot of interesting stuff done on sunspot cycles and warming also. Never seems to make it into the local rag though…..wonder why that is?
God help me
It had to be done….
Hmm, how about all us guys who are going bald gather outside at noon every day to help reflect the harmful sun rays back out into space and protect glorious Gaia.
I would think if we were joined by our tin-foil attired brethren the effect on the earth’s climate would be several magnitudes greater than Kyoto’s.