Electroverse by Cap Allon 12/14/2019
The ImplicationsWhen cosmic rays hit the top of Earth’s atmosphere they produce a spray of secondary particles and photons that rain down on Earth’s surface. This is what the team’s balloons measure–the secondary spray. This type of radiation, which you can also find in medical X-ray machines and airport security scanners, has increased more than 20% in the stratosphere, according to spaceweather.com data.
Cosmic rays penetrate commercial jets, delivering whole-body dosages equal to one or more dental X-rays even on regular flights across the USA. Cosmic rays pose an even greater hazard to astronauts, of course. Cosmic rays can also alter the electro-chemistry of Earth’s upper atmosphere and are thought to play some role in sparking lightning.
More crucially however, CRs hitting Earth’s atmosphere have been found to seed clouds (Svensmark et al), and cloud cover plays perhaps the most crucial role in our planet’s short-term climate change.
“Clouds are the Earth’s sunshade,†writes Dr. Roy Spencer, “and if cloud cover changes for any reason, you have global warming — or global cooling.â€
The upshot of this current solar minimum (24) –the sun’s deepest of the past 100+ years (NASA)– is a cooling of the planet, with the coming solar cycle (25) forecast by NASA to be “the weakest of the past 200 years“:
More:
https://electroverse.net/cosmic-rays-reach-record-highs-as-solar-activity-nears-space-age-low/