Thomas, you are right about low sunspot activity being associated with cooler temperatures. However, there are other mitigating factors (CO2 is NOT one of them as it isn't a meaningful factor at all). Lower sunspot numbers mean less "solar wind" that disrupts cosmic rays. Cosmic rays are known to "seed" clouds in the atmosphere (provide something for water vapor to condense around forming water droplets which accumulate to clouds). More cloud cover means cooler temperatures. So there is a definite link. However, the atmospheric steering currents (PDO, NAO, etc.) are influenced by ENSO cycles which, in turn, may reflect geologic activity in the western Pacific. We're in a changeable ENSO pattern, so early, mid, and late winter may be mild in one area, cold in others and change during the season. Despite all the baseless thunder from the UN-IPCC, weather and climate are far too complex for any scientist to be able to predict with certainty what the future holds. We can only generalize based on typical circumstances. The same reason weathermen have less than perfect accuracy. So in general, solar minima produce cooler climate whild solar maxima produce warmer climate, but not every year. Hope this helps.
Thomas, you are right about low sunspot activity being associated with cooler temperatures. However, there are other mitigating factors (CO2 is NOT one of them as it isn't a meaningful factor at all). Lower sunspot numbers mean less "solar wind" that disrupts cosmic rays. Cosmic rays are known to "seed" clouds in the atmosphere (provide something for water vapor to condense around forming water droplets which accumulate to clouds). More cloud cover means cooler temperatures. So there is a definite link. However, the atmospheric steering currents (PDO, NAO, etc.) are influenced by ENSO cycles which, in turn, may reflect geologic activity in the western Pacific. We're in a changeable ENSO pattern, so early, mid, and late winter may be mild in one area, cold in others and change during the season. Despite all the baseless thunder from the UN-IPCC, weather and climate are far too complex for any scientist to be able to predict with certainty what the future holds. We can only generalize based on typical circumstances. The same reason weathermen have less than perfect accuracy. So in general, solar minima produce cooler climate whild solar maxima produce warmer climate, but not every year. Hope this helps.