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Some months ago I was running a global cooling watch hereabouts and was reporting on the state of solar activity — how we were in an unusually long solar minimum (which means the sun is putting out marginally less solar energy which leads to global cooling). This IS NOT the start of another global cooling watch. Just a one time FYI.
As of today this long period at a solar minimum IS STILL going on. 2008 may end up having more days without sun spots than any year since 1913 and the length of Solar Cycle 23 — now at 12 years and still counting — puts it as longer than almost every solar cycle since the Dalton Minimum (solar cycle length correlates to warming or cooling, cycles shorter than average correlate to warming and cycles longer than average correlate to cooling).
In the bright side, the Earth's environment is like a capacitor in that it retains energy so there is a time delay involved in climate change. This means that even if we are facing another Dalton Minimum like event, a Gore-Hansen Minimum as I was calling it, we probably WILL NOT face anything like the Year Without a Summer because 4 of the last 5 solar cycles have been shorter, warmer cycles WHICH is very different from what those poor saps in the 18th and early 19th centuries experienced leading up to and into the Dalton Minimum (they got cold on top of cool).
Daily measurements for Solar Flux, a useful indicator of the state of solar activity related to sun spots, can be found here: http://www.spaceweather.ca/latestflux_e.php . Generally, values for solar flux of 64-68 correlate with very few or no sunspots and the sun being in a rock bottom "solar minimum". We've been bumping along at 70 or lower for months now (at least every time I've checked). Even when smoothed as data sets, solar maximums have been well into the 200-300 range by comparison.
Frankly, keeping track of this thing has been like watching some operas ... you can leave your seat for a while and by the time you get back not much has happened or changed.
