Are we facing a mini ice age?

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We may have had a mild winter so far, but new figures suggest that we could be heading for a mini ice age of the type that hasn't occurred since the 17th century.

New figures issued by the Met Office and the University of East Anglia Climatic Research Unit indicate that the planet has not warmed for the last 15 years.

This means that we could experience a dramatic drop in temperature of the type not seen since the late 1600s.

The Daily Mail reports that the sun is now heading towards a 'grand minimum' in its output, which means we are likely to experience cold summers, freezing winters and a shortening of the season available for growing food.

Experts say that we are now at the peak of 'Cycle 24' - which is why last week's solar storm resulted in sightings of the aurora borealis much further south than usual.

But sunspot numbers are running at less than half of those seen during cycle peaks in the 20th century and experts at NASA believe that Cycle 25, which is due to peak in 2022, will be considerably weaker.

According to a paper published by the Met Office, there is a 92 per cent chance Cycle 25 and those taking place in the following decades will be as weak, or weaker than, the 'Dalton minimum' of 1790 to 1830. During this period, temperatures in parts of Europe fell by 2C.

It is also possible that the solar energy slump could be as deep as the 'Maunder minimum' between 1645 and 1715, the coldest part of the 'Little Ice Age' when the Thames and the canals of Holland froze solid.

So far there is no evidence of this happening but, even if it does, the Met Office claims that the consequences would be minimal because the impact of the sun on climate is far less than man-made carbon dioxide.

However, solar experts believe that the effects could be more dramatic.

Henrik Svensmark, director of the Center for Sun-Climate Research at Denmark's National Space Institute, says: "World temperatures may end up a lot cooler than now for 50 years or more.

"It will take a long battle to convince some climate scientists that the sun is important. It may well be that the sun is going to demonstrate this on its own, without the need for their help."

Click on the image below to find out where to see the Northern Lights...

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