Climate signature of solar irradiance variations: analysis of long‐term instrumental, historical, and proxy data

The signature of solar irradiance variations on decadal‐to‐centennial climate variability is analysed by means of statistical analysis of long‐term instrumental, historical, and proxy data sets. Solar variations associated with the Schwabe, Hale, and Gleissberg cycles are detected by their spatial patterns in sea‐surface temperature and sea‐level pressure. Different statistical methods for instrumental and proxy data show that the mode related to solar irradiance fluctuations on multi‐decadal time scales (Gleissberg cycle) is distinct from the Atlantic multi‐decadal mode associated with ocean circulation changes. From this, one can infer the degree to which solar variability has contributed to long‐term temperature variations during the instrumental and pre‐instrumental era. Copyright © 2004 Royal Meteorological Society