Mini Ice Age is expected to struck Earth by 2030. (Photo : Reuters)
University of Northumbria researchers predicted that 15 years from now, the Earth will become a mini Ice Age. This claim made by solar researchers is based on sun's activity called unprecedentedly accurate predictions.
The model studied the solar pattern for the past 11 years and predicted that the sunspots could decline in 2030 by nearly 60 percent. This will lead to a mini ice age which also happened during the Maunder Minimum period (1645-1715) where North America and Europe experienced an extremely cold winters.
The researcher, Professor Valentina Zharkova, said that the wave shown during the 17th century and the cycle between 2030 to 2040 are exactly the same. They are peaking at the same time but in opposite hemisphere of the sun. The frequency is approximately 11 years but they offset in time. The scientist said their predictions showed 97 percent accurate combining all the gathered data and seeing the current solar cycle.
On the other hand, this prediction and the study were not embraced by many climate scientists. Professor of meteorology at Pennsylvania State University, Michael Mann, said that the anthropogenic global warming might be the reason of imbalance on nature and not caused by the sun, Washington Post reported.
As shown by NASA, the sunspot cycle is the same as Zharkova's study. In 1610, Galileo Galilei was the first to study sunspots, where they are being calculated by counting the number of sunspot groups and individual spot. This formula gives reliable result even the small sunspots are hard to see and provides approximately 11 years cycle.
Zharkova does not believe that anthropogenic global warming is the major climate driver. Research shows data are somehow accurate with the previous "mini ice age" phenomenon. Zharkova said we only have approximately 15 years and see the predictions happening.
