scholarly journals Cosmogenic radionuclides reveal an extreme solar particle storm near a solar minimum 9125 years BP

2022 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Chiara I. Paleari ◽  
Florian Mekhaldi ◽  
Florian Adolphi ◽  
Marcus Christl ◽  
Christof Vockenhuber ◽  
...  

AbstractDuring solar storms, the Sun expels large amounts of energetic particles (SEP) that can react with the Earth’s atmospheric constituents and produce cosmogenic radionuclides such as 14C, 10Be and 36Cl. Here we present 10Be and 36Cl data measured in ice cores from Greenland and Antarctica. The data consistently show one of the largest 10Be and 36Cl production peaks detected so far, most likely produced by an extreme SEP event that hit Earth 9125 years BP (before present, i.e., before 1950 CE), i.e., 7176 BCE. Using the 36Cl/10Be ratio, we demonstrate that this event was characterized by a very hard energy spectrum and was possibly up to two orders of magnitude larger than any SEP event during the instrumental period. Furthermore, we provide 10Be-based evidence that, contrary to expectations, the SEP event occurred near a solar minimum.

1968 ◽  
Vol 46 (10) ◽  
pp. S745-S748
Author(s):  
Kh. S. Aldagarova ◽  
V. I. Ivanov ◽  
E. V. Kolomeets

The changes in the neutron component of cosmic rays at times of chromospheric flares and small increases in the brightening of the sun are studied, using the data from the worldwide network of stations. It is shown that the generation of particles on the sun takes place both during chromospheric flares and during weaker processes. The energy spectrum of the additional particles changes during their motion in interplanetary space, depending on the electromagnetic conditions in the space. At solar minimum the dependence of the effect on the heliocoordinates of the flares is shown more clearly, both in amplitude and in decay time. This fact suggests that the interplanetary magnetic field has become more regular and undisturbed at solar minimum.


2005 ◽  
Vol 20 (29) ◽  
pp. 6654-6657
Author(s):  
RICHARD G. MARSDEN

Ulysses is the first spacecraft ever to fly over the poles of the sun. Its primary goal is to explore the heliosphere in four dimensions: three spatial dimensions, and time. An overview of some of the recent results from the mission will be presented. Particular emphasis will be given to the changes occurring in the 3-dimensional heliosphere from solar minimum to solar maximum, and their effects on energetic particles and cosmic rays.


2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. A. Mewaldt ◽  
C. M. S. Cohen ◽  
G. M. Mason ◽  
T. T. von Rosenvinge ◽  
R. A. Leske ◽  
...  

2021 ◽  
Vol 34 (10) ◽  
pp. 3839-3852
Author(s):  
Stacy E. Porter ◽  
Ellen Mosley-Thompson ◽  
Lonnie G. Thompson ◽  
Aaron B. Wilson

AbstractUsing an assemblage of four ice cores collected around the Pacific basin, one of the first basinwide histories of Pacific climate variability has been created. This ice core–derived index of the interdecadal Pacific oscillation (IPO) incorporates ice core records from South America, the Himalayas, the Antarctic Peninsula, and northwestern North America. The reconstructed IPO is annually resolved and dates to 1450 CE. The IPO index compares well with observations during the instrumental period and with paleo-proxy assimilated datasets throughout the entire record, which indicates a robust and temporally stationary IPO signal for the last ~550 years. Paleoclimate reconstructions from the tropical Pacific region vary greatly during the Little Ice Age (LIA), although the reconstructed IPO index in this study suggests that the LIA was primarily defined by a weak, negative IPO phase and hence more La Niña–like conditions. Although the mean state of the tropical Pacific Ocean during the LIA remains uncertain, the reconstructed IPO reveals some interesting dynamical relationships with the intertropical convergence zone (ITCZ). In the current warm period, a positive (negative) IPO coincides with an expansion (contraction) of the seasonal latitudinal range of the ITCZ. This relationship is not stationary, however, and is virtually absent throughout the LIA, suggesting that external forcing, such as that from volcanoes and/or reduced solar irradiance, could be driving either the ITCZ shifts or the climate dominating the ice core sites used in the IPO reconstruction.


2003 ◽  
Vol 21 (6) ◽  
pp. 1217-1228 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. B. McKibben ◽  
J. J. Connell ◽  
C. Lopate ◽  
M. Zhang ◽  
J. D. Anglin ◽  
...  

Abstract. In 2000–2001 Ulysses passed from the south to the north polar regions of the Sun in the inner heliosphere, providing a snapshot of the latitudinal structure of cosmic ray modulation and solar energetic particle populations during a period near solar maximum.  Observations from the COSPIN suite of energetic charged particle telescopes show that latitude variations in the cosmic ray intensity in the inner heliosphere are nearly non-existent near solar maximum, whereas small but clear latitude gradients were observed during the similar phase of Ulysses’ orbit near the 1994–95 solar minimum. At proton energies above ~10 MeV and extending up to >70 MeV, the intensities are often dominated by Solar Energetic Particles (SEPs) accelerated near the Sun in association with intense solar flares and large Coronal Mass Ejections (CMEs). At lower energies the particle intensities are almost constantly enhanced above background, most likely as a result of a mix of SEPs and particles accelerated by interplanetary shocks. Simultaneous high-latitude Ulysses and near-Earth observations show that most events that produce large flux increases near Earth also produce flux increases at Ulysses, even at the highest latitudes attained. Particle anisotropies during particle onsets at Ulysses are typically directed outwards from the Sun, suggesting either acceleration extending to high latitudes or efficient cross-field propagation somewhere inside the orbit of Ulysses. Both cosmic ray and SEP observations are consistent with highly efficient transport of energetic charged particles between the equatorial and polar regions and across the mean interplanetary magnetic fields in the inner heliosphere.Key words. Interplanetary physics (cosmic rays) – Solar physics, astrophysics and astronomy (energetic particles; flares and mass ejections)


2019 ◽  
Vol 116 (13) ◽  
pp. 5961-5966 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paschal O’Hare ◽  
Florian Mekhaldi ◽  
Florian Adolphi ◽  
Grant Raisbeck ◽  
Ala Aldahan ◽  
...  

Recently, it has been confirmed that extreme solar proton events can lead to significantly increased atmospheric production rates of cosmogenic radionuclides. Evidence of such events is recorded in annually resolved natural archives, such as tree rings [carbon-14 (14C)] and ice cores [beryllium-10 (10Be), chlorine-36 (36Cl)]. Here, we show evidence for an extreme solar event around 2,610 years B.P. (∼660 BC) based on high-resolution10Be data from two Greenland ice cores. Our conclusions are supported by modeled14C production rates for the same period. Using existing36Cl ice core data in conjunction with10Be, we further show that this solar event was characterized by a very hard energy spectrum. These results indicate that the 2,610-years B.P. event was an order of magnitude stronger than any solar event recorded during the instrumental period and comparable with the solar proton event of AD 774/775, the largest solar event known to date. The results illustrate the importance of multiple ice core radionuclide measurements for the reliable identification of short-term production rate increases and the assessment of their origins.


2019 ◽  
Vol 15 (S354) ◽  
pp. 127-133
Author(s):  
C. T. Russell ◽  
J. G. Luhmann ◽  
L. K. Jian

AbstractThe sunspot cycle is quite variable in duration and amplitude, yet in the long term, it seems to return to solar minimum on schedule, as if guided by a clock with an average period of close to 11.05 years for the sunspot number cycle and 22.1 years for the magnetic cycle. This paper provides a brief review of the sunspot number cycle since 1750, discusses some of the processes controlling the solar dynamo, and provides clues that may add to our understanding of what controls the cadence of the solar clock.


2019 ◽  
Vol 13 (6) ◽  
pp. 1743-1752 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shugui Hou ◽  
Wangbin Zhang ◽  
Hongxi Pang ◽  
Shuang-Ye Wu ◽  
Theo M. Jenk ◽  
...  

Abstract. Ice cores from the Tibetan Plateau (TP) are widely used for reconstructing past climatic and environmental conditions that extend beyond the instrumental period. However, challenges in dating and interpreting ice core records often lead to inconsistent results. The Guliya ice core drilled from the northwestern TP suggested a cooling trend during the mid-Holocene based on its decreasing δ18O values, which is not observed in other Tibetan ice cores. Here we present a new high-resolution δ18O record of the Chongce ice cores drilled to bedrock ∼30 km away from the Guliya ice cap. Our record shows a warming trend during the mid-Holocene. Based on our results as well as previously published ice core data, we suggest that the apparent discrepancy between the Holocene δ18O records of the Guliya and the Chongce ice cores may be attributed to a possible misinterpretation of the Guliya ice core chronology.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document