A new ice age could be on its way to Europe and some other parts of the Earth following an alarming fall occurred in the performance power of the Sun, scientists have warned.
While the number of gas explosions on the Sun’s surface should be at the peak of its 11-year cycle of activity, but the recent research has indicated an unexpected drop off, researchers say.
The occurred phenomenon has not been observed during recent 30 years and there are fears the temperatures could drop so low leading to a mini ice age.
“It would feel like the Sun is asleep… a very dormant ball of gas at the centre of our Solar System,” explained Dr Lucie Green, from University College London’s Mullard Space Science Laboratory.
“It is completely taken me and many other solar scientists by surprise,” Dr Green expressed.
The experts believe that the new phenomenon is similar to the one of the Sun’s biggest lulls came in the 17th century, known as the Maunder Minimum, at the same time as freezing winters swept across Europe.
“That caused not only the River Thames to freeze solid, allowing Londoners to enjoy frost fairs, but even the Baltic Sea iced over in some of the harshest conditions ever recorded in Europe.”
According to the U.S. National Climatic Data Center (NCDC), this year’s snow cover over North America and much of Siberia, Mongolia and China is greater than at any time since 1966.
NASA has predicted that the solar cycle peaking in 2022 could be one of the weakest in centuries and should cause a very significant cooling of Earth’s climate.
Following NASA’s prediction, some of the scientists believe that new mini ice age could happen within 30 or 40 years.
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