Imagine a winter where the average temperature was like twenty below. Well, according to new research, the Earth may be looking at a mini-ice age in a few years.

Major Winter Storm Cripples North Carolina
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Now 'ice-age' sounds really, REALLY scary, but don't freak out yet. First off, it's a mini-ice age. We're not talking about the whole world being covered in snow and people freezing... but it is enough to draw some concern. Second, this is just a study. Research has been done to show the potential of something like this happening - it doesn't mean it will happen. But either way, it is pretty cool (and a little scary to think about).

Scientists have been studying the cycles of solar activity from the sun, and that is what has led them to the conclusion of a possible mini-ice age. According to My Fox Detroit,

Scientists have known since the 1840s that the sun has cycles of activity, and each one lasts for about 10 years...

The research was conducted and led by Northumbria University professor Valentina Zharkova. After looking at solar activity cycles dating back to the 1970s, Zharkova created a model predicting the next cycle...

According to the model Zharkova created - scientists believe this 'mini-ice age' would hit sometime in the 2030s. While research is still being done on the idea of a mini-ice age, it does send a little chill down my spine (chill... get it?!)

The last mini-ice age was reported about 300 years ago, and lasted quite a while - from 1645 to 1715.

 

 

 

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