The findings overturn a broadly held scientific view that extended periods of warm and cold temperature previously may have been triggered by periodic fluctuations in photo voltaic activity.
Research analyzing what causes global warming within the northern hemisphere in the last 1000 years has proven that before the year 1800, the important thing driver of periodic alterations in climate was volcanic eruptions. These often prevent sunlight reaching Earth, leading to awesome, drier weather. Since 1900, green house gases happen to be the responsible for global warming.
The findings reveal that periods of low sun activity shouldn't be envisioned having a sizable effect on temps on the planet, and therefore are likely to improve scientists' understanding which help climate predicting.
Researchers in the College of Edinburgh completed the research using records of past temps built with data from tree rings along with other historic sources. They in comparison this data record with computer-based types of past climate, featuring both significant and minor changes under the sun.
They discovered that their type of weak changes under the sun gave the very best correlation with temperature records, showing that photo voltaic activity has already established a small effect on temperature previously millennium.
The research, released in Character GeoScience, was based on natural Atmosphere Research Council.
Dr Andrew Schurer, from the College of Edinburgh's School of GeoSciences, stated: "So far, the influence from the sun on past climate continues to be poorly understood. Hopefully our new breakthroughs can help improve our knowledge of how temps have transformed in the last couple of centuries, and improve forecasts for the way they may develop later on. Links between your sun and anomalously cold winters within the United kingdom continue to be investigated."