The Sun is the main driver of Earth's climate, providing 4000 times the amount of energy of all other sources combined. Fortunately, the Sun's energy is fairly stable, but even small fluctuations can affect Earth's global and regional climate. Solar variability and other natural influences have historically driven our climate, but today, these have taken a back seat to human-caused effects. In order to understand climate and set appropriate regulatory policies, determining how solar influences contribute to climate change remains a key international priority. In this lecture from April 6, 2011, Dr. Greg Kopp discusses solar influences on Earth's climate and how space-based measurements are improving the solar data record and our understanding of climate sensitivity to the Sun.
