On the correlation between the recent star formation rate in the Solar Neighbourhood and the glaciation period record on Earth

Abstract

Shaviv (2003) has shown evidence for a correlation between variations in the Galactic cosmic ray flux reaching Earth and the glaciation period record on Earth during the last 2 Gyr. If the flux of cosmic rays is mainly the result of Type II supernovae, an additional correlation between the star formation history of the Solar Neighbourhood and the timing of past ice ages is expected. Higher star formation rate implies increased cosmic ray flux and this may translate into colder climate through a rise in the average low altitude cloud cover. Here we reanalyze the correlation between this star formation history and the glaciation period record on Earth using a volume limited open cluster sample. Numerical modeling and recent observational data indicate that the correlation is rather strong but only if open clusters within 1.5 kpc from the Sun are considered.