Paleo
Connections Between
the
Sun, Climate, and Culture
September 14-16, 2005
Durango, Colorado ☼ Doubletree Hotel
Thank you to all who attended the 3rd annual SORCE Science Meeting, motivated by the NASA/EOS Solar Radiation and Climate Experiment (SORCE). The meeting was a huge success. We received many positive comments about the high quality and informative content of the talks. Below you will find links to most of the presentations and posters in .pdf format. You will need the newest version of Adobe Acrobat Reader to view these files. (To download the newest version go here). Some of the files are very large (the size is noted next to the link), so, please be patient when downloading. Thanks again from the SORCE science team!
Solar activity, the Earth’s climate and human culture, all undergo change. An increasing number of paleoclimate records, for example in ice-cores, ocean sediments, lake levels, and tree-rings, suggest a solar contribution to past climate change because many records correlate strongly with the 10Be and 14C cosmogenic isotopes. The cosmogenic isotopes are considered to be proxies of solar activity, because solar modulation of the heliosphere alters the flux of incoming galactic cosmic rays which produce the isotopes. Furthermore, comparisons of paleoclimate records with archeological evidence of past human cultures suggests that solar-driven climate change may have contributed to the prosperity and demise of various civilizations, for example in the Yucatan and East Africa.
The 3rd Annual SORCE Science Meeting will concentrate on both the empirical evidence and physical processes that link the sun, climate, and culture in the distant past. This includes understanding the relationship between solar irradiance and cosmogenic isotopes, which are typically assumed to reflect changes in solar brightness since this energy modulation is a million times larger than that of cosmic rays themselves. The lack of global climate records makes it difficult to discern the spatial pattern of the apparent climate response to past solar variability, which can provide clues about possible mechanisms. Nevertheless, from assorted paleo evidence at equatorial, mid- and high-latitudes, sometimes in combination with more recent datasets, a number of processes have been suggested. These include changes in the location of the intertropical convergence zone and in various dynamical modes including the North Atlantic Oscillation, the El Niño Southern Oscillation, and in the Hadley and Walker Circulations. Civilizations most susceptible to solar-driven climate change appear to be those located in regions where rainfall and drought are especially vulnerable to changes in these climate variability modes and circulation patterns. This emphasizes the need to understand the role of the hydrological cycle in the sun, climate, culture connection, which will be discussed in the following sessions.
| Session 1 | SORCE observations of solar radiation - new science results. |
| Session 2 | Reconstructions of past solar irradiance and modeled climate reponses. |
| Session 3 | Evidence for climate responses to solar variability. |
| Session 4 | Interpreting the solar and climate sources of cosmogenic isotope variations, and their relationship to solar irradiance |
| Session 5 | Physical processes linking climate, cultural responses, and solar variability |
MEETING AGENDA -- Final (with presentations)
** Click on presenters' name for the abstract in html format. **
** Click on the presentation title to download the presentation in .pdf format. **
| Special Session for Gary Rottman | Speakers Included:
|
Downloadable Agenda (.pdf)
Downloadable Presentation Abstracts (.pdf)
POSTER SESSIONS (Wed. Sept 14, 4:00-6:00 p.m.):
Downloadable Poster Abstracts File (.pdf)
Session 1: Solar Variability |
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Abstract |
Poster |
| Aden & Marjorie Meinel University of Arizona, Tucson and Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California and Santa Barbara, California |
Connecting Inferred Solar Microvariability over the Past 200ky with Observed Microvariability of 582 Solar-Class Stars from the ESA Hipparcos Program |
| Eun-Hee Lee Yonsei University Observatory, Seoul, Korea |
On the Duration of the Spöerer Minimum |
| Phil Judge HAO, National Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, Colorado |
What was the Probable State of the Solar Chromosphereand Corona during the Maunder Minimum? |
Cyclic and Secular Activity Changes in Solar Analog Stars |
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Peter Fox |
Variability and Redundancy across the Solar Spectrum |
Spectral Irradiance Modeling and Long-Term Trends |
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David Dunham |
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Observing the Solar Photosphere from Space using the MDI and HMI Instruments |
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Guoyong Wen |
Empirical Orthogonal Function Analysis of Observed and Modeled Solar Spectral Irradiances |
Larry Puga |
The NOAA MgII Core-to-Wing Ratio |
SORCE Data Processing and Data Products |
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Session 2: Sun-Climate |
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Abstract |
Poster |
The Fossil Record of UV-B in Juncus Seeds and the Relation with Climate Change |
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Climate Change and the Expansion of the Northeast China Culture after 960 BC |
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David Gregory & Fred Nials |
Solar Variability, Climate, and Human Response: A view from the Southwest |
A Climatological Spectral Study for Diagnosing the Solar 11-Year Signal in the Northern Hemisphere Atmosphere |
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Saumitra Mukherjee |
Cosmic Influence on Environment of the Earth |
Connecting the Inverse Correlation between 10Be and GRIP Temperature and Snowfall Accumulation over the Past 200 Ky with Relevance to the Variation of 10Be during the past 80 Ky and to the 40-Ky BP Surge |
|
Marty Snow |
LASP Interactive Solar Irradiance Datacenter (LISIRD) |
PRESENTATION GUIDELINES/INFORMATION
Downloadable Presenter Information (.pdf)
The SORCE Meeting will be at the Durango Doubletree in the Doubletree Ballroom. Check-in for the meeting will begin at the Welcoming Reception beginning at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, September 13. The meeting will begin at 8:30 a.m. on Wednesday, September 14. The meeting will conclude at approximately 12:00 noon on Friday, September 16.
Presenter Information
ORAL -- Presentation equipment includes an overhead projector, a computer projector, and portable computers (Mac and PC). The computers will have the latest versions of PowerPoint. There is a USB Port, Zip drive, and CD drive available. There will also be a laser pointer available for your use.
The length of your talk (including discussion) is on the agenda. To save time during the meeting, it would be great if you could supply Vanessa George with an electronic version of your presentation in advance of the meeting (by Sept. 9). This would be extremely helpful in avoiding fumbling around with computers during a session. Of course, be sure to bring your own copy to the meeting as well.
An important goal of the SORCE meetings is to foster interdisciplinary exchanges amongst scientists with quite different backgrounds. For this reason we very much encourage speakers to begin their talk with at least a few basic, introductory "tutorial" slides that provide general scientific background and context for the audience. We found that this approach was very well received at the last meeting.
POSTER -- Posters can be set up beginning Tuesday evening at 5:30 p.m. in the Doubletree Ballroom. They will be on display Wednesday and Thursday, September 14-15, with a special Poster Sessions on Wednesday afternoon. Posters will be attached to the meeting room walls in an assigned space. Posters will each be given up to a 6 feet wide x 4 feet tall area (1.8 m x 1.2 m). Materials will be attached to the meeting room walls with special tape, which will be provided. Push pins are not allowed.MEETING SUMMARY
A synopsis of the 2005 SORCE science meeting will be published on-line in EOS’s The Earth Observer. For a detailed summary of past SORCE meetings (2003 and 2004), please read the final articles which can be found on-line at the SORCE meeting website. We anticipate that the Durango meeting will be just as exciting, with attendees enthusiastically sharing information, ideas, and opinions
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SORCE Science Meeting Dinner
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There will be a Science Meeting Dinner Thursday for all attendees at the historic Strater Hotel, one of Colorado’s finest turn-of-the-century Victorian hotels. Built in 1887, this beautiful downtown Durango landmark has only gotten better through the years, even becoming a national finalist for Lodging Magazine's prestigious Gold Key Award. Their chef promises a fabulous buffet along with impeccable service. Dr. Mark Vrain will discuss cultural impacts during
the Anasazi period in southwest Colorado, where scientists have studied Chaco Canyon and Mesa Verde. For more information on this special presentation, please click here. |
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Tickets: $42. Reservations are required – Please sign up and pay for this event on the Registration Form. Everyone is encouraged to attend, and friends and family are welcome.
POST-MEETING FIELD TRIP:
MESA VERDE NATIONAL PARK
Friday, September 16, 1:15 p.m.
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Local resident and SORCE co-investigator, Dick White, will lead us through Mesa Verde National Park. This is an opportunity to see and experience a unique culture and beautiful landscape. People living in the area 1200 years ago built elaborate stone villages in the sheltered alcoves of the canyon walls called “cliff dwellings”. Mesa Verde National Park is the largest archaeological preserve in the U.S. For more information, visit the Park’s website at: http://www.nps.gov/meve/. |
People will be on their own for all expenses and car-pooling. The entrance to the Park is 35 miles west of Durango, and it takes about 45 minutes to get to the archeological sites from the entrance. Dick and a park ranger will escort you through Mesa Verde for the afternoon. If there is enough interest, dinner reservations will be made at the Metate Room in the Far View Lodge, which is located in the Park. Join us for this truly special event!