What role do solar flares play in global warming?

Question

Ken, although I'm choosing your answer as best answer, consider this, what if solar flares increase in intensity and frequency as they have been. That would cause more heat input. The two factors of greenhouse gasses AND increased solar output both cause global warming, but I have to go with the sun as the major contributor to earth's temperature. If solar output deacreased, we would experience "global cooling".

Answer 1

It couldn't have any effect. Haven't you been brainwashed to believe that the myth of ALGORE'S global warming is all man made.

Answer 2

They barely affect global warming and we, all humans of this earth, are the casue of global warming. Sad isn't it?

Answer 3

Solar flares are are a common occurrence. The frequency of the flares have a cycle (i stand corrected) of about 13 years. This has very little effect on the earths temperature. The oceans make sure we stay at a constant. Any harmfull effects of these flares are rebuffed by our atmosphere. It is us humans who are dangerous to our environment.

Answer 4

Best I can offer; very little is understood about their frequency and magnitude. But they do have a large impact on climatic conditions.

Answer 5

Massive amounts of Energy striking the atmosphere?  

This energy has to go somewhere, and the Sun is the source for all warming on Earth.

Answer 6

Shhhhhhh !!!

You're not supposed to EVER go against what the global warming n***s are spewing.  If you're not careful, of the the foam-at-the-mouth screaming pants-pissing global warming n***s will shout you down and kill you for having the gall to say that nature might cause global warming !!

Answer 7

Not much.  Sunspots and flares are cyclic, but the effect is more on space-based electronics and some of our radio signals.  After accounting for increases in solar radiation, if still appears human activity is a major cause of global warming.  See IPCC working group 1 report.

Answer 8

In any thermodynamic system the heat source almost always plays the most vital roll.  Add another layer of insulation to your house will have a tiny effect, compaired to the energy of more gas.  Some people forget the sun is the driver, and greenhouse gasses are the passenger.

NOTE: until the mid 1970's the sun, sun spots charts well with the temperature change, from that point not as well.  Have the global warming folks ever modeled the system to 1970 using the data it could be 95% the sun, then included there positive feedbacks from that temperature change?

Answer 9

Jellos comment about "massive" amounts of energy fails to recognize that our planet receives "massive" amounts of energy every day from the sun.  While solar flares are an impressive phenomena, we already receive enough energy from the sun (without flares) to easily heat up our planet like Venus. The reason it doesn't, is because we have a balance between incoming energy and outgoing energy.  Shortwave solar energy is allowed in and longwave energy goes back out (simplistically speaking). The increase in greenhouse gases is altering that balance (allowing less of the longwave energy back out into space).

Think of a house with open windows.  If a heater is putting out the same BTU as is allowed to escape through open windows or poor insulation, the house temperature will remain constant. But if you close a window or improve the insulation, without changing the BTU output of the heater, the house will start to warm.  The additional greenhouse gases are like improved insulation (except they only insulate against the longwave outgoing energy, not the shortwave incoming energy).

Answer 10

Solar flare activity certainly seems to play some part in global weather patterns as can be seen in tree ring growth.

We experience the peak in solar flare activity on an 11 year cycle, and because the tree rings indicate an 11 year cycle in growth patterns, it would appear that there is an influence on global weather patterns.

However due to our somewhat elliptical orbit around the Sun, I suspect that the occurrence of sunspot activity will have much more effect at times than others.

This could help to explain the 88 year cycle which some scientists have seemed to discovered.

As far as global warming is concerned however, the chances are much greater that a major volcanic eruption would quickly put us back to much colder conditions than the mild conditions we currently are lucky enough to enjoy.

Answer 11

None whatsoever. But they make pretty lights.