On the relationship between global, hemispheric and latitudinal averaged air surface temperature (GISS time series) and solar activity

The air surface temperature is a basic meteorological parameter and its variation is a primary measure of global, regional and local climate changes. In this work, the global, hemispheric and latitudinal averaged air surface temperature time series, obtained from the NASA/Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS), and the Sunspot Number (R-z) for the interval 1880-2005, are decomposed in frequency bands through wavelet multi-resolution analysis. We have found a very low correlation between global, hemispheric and latitudinal averaged air surface temperature and R-z in the 11 yr solar cycle band (8-16 years) from similar to 1880 to similar to 1950. Afterwards the correlation is higher. A very significant correlation (R similar to 0.57 to 0.80) is found in the similar to 22 yr solar Hale cycle band (16-32 years) with lags from zero to four years between latitudinal averages air surface temperature and R-z. Therefore it seems that the 22 yr magnetic field solar cycle might have a higher effect on Earth's climate than solar variations related to the 11 yr sunspot cycle. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.