A further forecast, submitted in March 2000 to the Hydrological Sciences Journal and published in June 2000, corroborates the strength of solar forcing. A copy of the publication is given below so that sceptics can check the wording that relates the successful forecast to the torque cycle in the Sun's motion. On this basis, it was predicted that around 2001.1 a wet period should develop in the river Po catchment area in Northern Italy. This has turned out to be correct. After a protracted dry period, the predicted wet period has been initiated by severe floods in Northern Italy that began in mid-October and continued in November 2000.
Observational experience shows that wet periods, once initiated, continue for months.
This indicates that even now, at the beginning of the new century, the well-tried solar motion cycle continues to provide evidence that there is dominant solar forcing of climate. There is a tradition that the Editor invites discussion of every paper published in Hydrological Sciences Journal. In principle, the discussion period starts from the moment of publication of the paper in question and ends six months afterwards. In this issue, the original paper, the discussion and the reply are published next to each other. The authors of the original paper, accepted for publication in Hydrological Sciences Journal, sent their contribution to Dr Theodor Landscheidt, an expert in cycles of solar activity.