Skip to main content
U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Long-term downward trend in total solar irradiance

Journal Article · · Science (Washington, D.C.); (United States)

The first 5 years (from 1980 to 1985) of total solar irradiance observations by the first Active Cavity Radiometer Irradiance Monitor (ACRIM I) experiment on board the Solar Maximum Mission spacecraft show a clearly defined downward trends of -0.019% per year. The existence of this trend has been confirmed by the internal self-calibrations of ACRIM I, by independent measurements from sounding rockets and balloons, and by observations from the Nimbus-7 spacecraft. The trend appears to be due to unpredicted variations of solar luminosity on time scales of years, and it may be related to solar cycle magnetic activity.

Research Organization:
California Institute of Technology, Pasadena
OSTI ID:
6901074
Journal Information:
Science (Washington, D.C.); (United States), Journal Name: Science (Washington, D.C.); (United States) Vol. 234; ISSN SCIEA
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

Similar Records

Total solar irradiance trend during solar cycles 21 and 22
Journal Article · Fri Sep 26 00:00:00 EDT 1997 · Science · OSTI ID:569271

Solar irradiance modulation by active regions from 1969 through 1980
Journal Article · Thu Dec 31 23:00:00 EST 1981 · Geophys. Res. Lett.; (United States) · OSTI ID:5384968

Solar irridiance variations and solar activity
Journal Article · Tue Jun 01 00:00:00 EDT 1982 · J. Geophys. Res.; (United States) · OSTI ID:6806518