Describe what the Maunder minimum was, and how it may have related to the Little Ice Age.?

Question

What will be the ideal response?

Answer 1

ANSWER: Sunspots occur in cycles, with the number and size reaching a maximum approximately every 11 years. It appears that the 11-year sunspot cycle has not always prevailed. Apparently, between 1645 and 1715, during the period known as the Maunder minimum, there were few, if any, sunspots. It is interesting to note that the minimum occurred during the Little Ice Age (recall that this was a cool spell in the temperature record experienced mainly over Europe). Some scientists suggest that a reduction in the Sun’s energy output may have played a role in exacerbating this cool spell, although the cooling started many years before the Maunder minimum began.