Position Description:

While human activity has been the primary control on climate change over the past century, anthropogenic climate change has occurred against a background of variations caused by natural factors, including the Sun. The Sun undergoes 11-year oscillations in brightness known as solar cycles, and these lead to a ~0.1% fluctuation in solar brightness. Over longer timescales, there is evidence that the sun may have been dimmer for much longer intervals, including a period during the 17th century known as the Maunder Minimum, a period when much of the Earth's climate was simultaneously experiencing cooler than average temperatures. A better understanding of the Sun's role in climate variability is crucial in interpreting evidence of past climate change, as well as the background upon which modern climate change is occurring.

In this study, we will investigate whether the sunspot record, a commonly-used metric for solar brightness, suggests long-term variations in solar activity. We will use two lines of evidence, one historical and one contemporary. Students will take advantage of Harvard's unique resources by examining its extensive astronomical archives. They will digitize and analyze detailed spatial records of sunspot activity for comparison to modern-day behavior. Students with more coding experience may also build a pipeline in Matlab or python to process magnetic imaging from the SOHO spacecraft to build a model of modern-day solar variability. In doing so, students will learn about solar dynamics, radiative forcing, and climate variability on centennial time scales. The goal is for findings of this project to be included in a publication.

Duration: 3 weeks (January 4 - 22, 2021)

Work Hours: 6-7 hours/week (for a total of 20 hours)

Pay Rate: $15/hour

Numbe of Positions Available: 3

Qualifications/Requirements:

• no prior experience in the field is necessary

• computer skills not necessary but preferred

• computer

• internet access

• complete a survey at the end of the project

All necessary software, data, and instructions will be provided.

Opportunities to Explore the EPS Department:

Ted will discuss classes students can take or professors to get in touch with if they are interested in the material of the project or other topics within the Earth and Planetary Sciences as well as provide help in planning their curriculum. The student will be invited to Huybers group weekly group meetings, where they can encounter research within the group and meet other group members.

The Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences (EPS) welcomes everyone and aims for a diverse and inclusive community. Preferences will be given to rising sophomores and first year students, but we encourage all interested students to apply. Students who are already working with members of the EPS community and non-Harvard students are not eligible for this position.

The application has closed on December 15th, 2020.

Students Hired: Elizabeth I Ogolo (first year), Hannah Shin (sophomore), Daniel Shen (first year)