Many scientists believe that the solar cycle plays an important role in climate change.
Their beliefs are bolstered by data that show a strong correlation between solar activity and changes in the earth s climate. Unfortunately, it has been difficult to discover the mechanism that is responsible for this correlation. Several mechanisms have been suggested. The new study, however, suggests that changes in ozone concentrations that are affected by changes in solar cycle irradiance may be the mechanism scientists are looking for. The researchers used a global circulation model in which they added interactive stratospheric chemistry.