Solar Wind, Earth’s Rotation and Changes in Terrestrial Climate

Solar variability affects Earth climate. It is proposed that this forcing primarily goes via the interaction
of the Solar Wind with the Earth’s magnetosphere, rather than via changes in irradiance, which is
generally assumed. The cyclic variations in Solar Wind emission generate corresponding changes in
the Earth’s rate of rotation (LOD), as recorded by correlations between sunspot numbers and LODvariations.
Variations in Earth’s rotation affect not only the atmospheric circulation but also the ocean
circulation. Because the ocean water has a very high heat storing capacity, changes in the ocean
circulation will affect regional climate. The redistribution of oceanic water masses also gives rise of
irregular changes in sea level over the globe. During the last 6000 years this redistribution of ocean
water masses seems to have been the dominate sea level variable. The El Niño/ENSO events contain
a part, which represent an interchange of angular momentum between the solid earth (LOD) and the
equatorial ocean circulation in the Pacific. The 60-year solar-terrestrial cycle controlled the climatic
conditions and main fish stocks in the Barents Sea via an oceanic beat in the inflow of warm Atlantic
water. The major Solar Maxima and Minima of the last 600 years correspond to decreases and
increases in the Earth’s rotation, which altered the ocean circulation in the North Atlantic by that
generating major climatic changes and sea level changes. Speeding-ups of the Earth’s rotation during
the Spörer, Maunder and Dalton Solar Minima forced the Gulf Stream to be concentrated on its
southern branch and cold Arctic water to penetrate far down along the European coasts, which lead to
Little Ice Age conditions in the Arctic and in northern to middle Europe but extra warm periods in the
Gibraltar to northwest African region. During the Solar Maxima, the situation was the reverse. By
around 2040, we will be in a new major Solar Minimum and may, therefore, expect a period of cold
climatic conditions.