Earth Changes Bulletin Update As Of December 18 2002
You have heard of the Weather Report? Here exclusively is this week’s "Earth Report" - a short review of the “big picture” about how the dynamic changes in the Sun and the Earth are effecting our lives more and more intensely, with the latest prognostications and predictions for weathermen, farmers, investors, businessmen, and every man

With the Full Moon tomorrow in this moment of high solar ionic influx, expect anything. We are all twisting in the wind as we hang from the scaffold of the moment, twisting in every direction to see many rude beasts conniving in a multitude of ways. Yet the one way we fail to see is the way from out of this place…is there one?

With solar destiny continuing to inflame the minds and emotions of humans into extreme
patterns of reaction, the world seems ever more devoid of common sense and elementary legitimacy. At the moment, the imbroglio surrounding Senator Lott seems like nearly a perfect symbol for such as the Americans, a symbol of the entire nation, a symbol of those who hold great power and wealth but in their narrow concerns, unsavory past, and petty judgements are far too empty of legitimacy and sound purpose to govern the world they presume as their own. Yet even so, the recent mass media exposure of Dr Strangelove Kissinger as an international fugitive was a real good sign in a real healthy direction.

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Program Thesis: What are we trying to do with the Earth Changes Bulletin?

Most news media do not handle technical and scientific subjects like geology and earth sciences very well. They don't understand the causes and effects of activities in the Sun and Earth. Accordingly, they often do not understand if, when, how, why to report earthquakes, volcanic activity, global warming effects The treatment often sounds absent-minded, poorly qualified, and frequently contains various technical errors. Seldom is the treatment entertaining and genuinely educational.

Based on new scientific principles which have emerged during the past thirty years, many of the dynamic activities of the Sun and Earth can be linked together to see how a range of effects are linked together. This makes it possible to paint "the big picture" into a perspective which explains many diverse events and processes, especially climate and weather patterns such as global warming and El Nino. From the "big picture", long range predictions can be made for weeks and even months ahead.

The result is sophisticated cutting-edge information which is objective, balanced, astute, relevant, and can be easily seen and appreciated by lay audiences. The perspective is generally global, seldom parochial.
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POLAR MOTION
What is happening to the motion of the Earth.

AS REPORTED DURING PREVIOUS WEEKS: Steady as she goes. As reported for the past few months, the current track of Chandler’s Wobble (the observed locations of the spin axis at the North Pole) continues to show an acceleration in the shifting of the average location of the spin axis. The recent acceleration may be in the approximate range of 6.5%. FOR A DESCRIPTION OF THIS DISPLACEMENT, SEE THE EARTH CHANGES BULLETIN OF NOVEMBER 13, 2002.

NEW THIS WEEK: I believe that when final calculations are done for this 6.5 year cycle of chandler’s wobble, the rate of acceleration will firm up higher, perhaps in the range of double the rate quoted above. Final calculation may require waiting for another 11 months.

SUNSPOTS
The events in the solar atmosphere which impact weather and climate patterns, the magnetic field and auroras, including forecasts for the week, month, and year ahead.

AS REPORTED LAST WEEK, THE SOLAR NEWS IS DEFINITELY NOT, NOT, NOT GOOD

Sunspot count on Tuesday was 252 being pushed higher by a rapidly climbing Solar Index Flux, which is now reported at about 212. The Sunspot count usually “overshoots” the high point of the Solar Flux by about 20 to 50 points and since the Solar Flux appears to be climbing still, the sunspot count is likely to continue climbing for at least another day or so.

From the current numbers which have been climbing since last week, it is apparent that we could very well be a long way from the end of the peak period (sun spot counts above 100 on average for any given month) of Solar Cycle 23.

I was expecting these numbers in November but it took Saturn to bring them out. I have mostly ignored the outer planets, mainly because the don’t fit well on the Home Planet heliotropic (sun in the center) projections. I preferred to display the actual relative orbital distances of just the inner planets. But it is very obvious from this current alignment with Saturn that the Earth can play a significant attractor role (for solar storms, sunspots, solar wind, etc) quite independent of Mercury or Venus when an outer planet lines up behind the Earth. Accordingly for the next year, we will use all of the planetary alignments and watch the sunspot numbers raise and fall with them.

The current Saturn|Earth alignment can be seen at (watch the world wrap, make sure that the portions of the file name which may appear on the second line are also pasted into your browser GO slot)

This snapshot of the solar system forces all of the planets into equal orbital distances from each other so that they will all fit in the projection in a neat and tidy way.

NASA reports that “Earth and Saturn are having their closest encounter in nearly 30 years, which means it's a great time to look at the ringed planet. The view, even through a small telescope, can take your breath away. Read the full story at
http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2002/13dec_saturn.htm

AS REPORTED YESTERDAY: The current performance of the solar sunspot activity is providing an awful lot of data to firm up the vortex theory of sunspot activity. Wait until you see what is coming our way in January with a spiraling alignment with Merc|Earth|Jupiter, which will last basically all month. I doubt very much that the peak of Solar Cycle 23 is going away anytime soon. Sunspots will be HIGH, the weather AWESOME, and the humans, VERY confused with all kinds of mixed reactions on all fronts. It is going to be a Wintry January to remember!!!! I promise.

The current and likely future high level of activity through January will provide a strong stable platform of energy to feed more major storms on the Sun which will feed ions into the Earth’s atmosphere to feed extreme weather patterns.

Despite this rising tide of solar flux and sunspots NASA. It is a great time to be sailing in this quadrant of the solar system, at least today. At the moment the Fluxgate Monitor at the U of Alaska shows a virtual flatline (no magnetic disturbances in the Earth’s Atmosphere) and no coronal holes (holes in the Sun’s atmosphere) of significance are visible. Today’s Solar Wind Speed is a relatively modest 360.7 km/s yet with a high density of 10.7 protons/cm. Don’t bother looking for auroras tonight but if you have a ionic propulsion craft parked in orbit, you might want to take a spin out towards the Moon and leave behind the gales in the atmosphere.

AS REPORTED LAST WEEK: it is apparent that the robust energy output of the Sun in Solar Cycle 23 is not falling off as hoped for during the past six months. It should now be apparent that the high in this Solar Sunspot Cycle may not be any shorter in length than previous cycles. It has blown off all predictions, even astrophysicist’s with fancy supercomputers and highly advanced statistical profiling. So the only real prediction which can be made is that nobody will call this one except by blind luck. EXPECT ANYTHING except a quick reprieve. THIS IS VERY BAD NEWS TO THE AMERICAN SOUTHWEST AND OTHER DROUGHT PRONE AREAS.

To follow these numbers, view the Solar Cycle 23 Chart at

http://www.michaelmandeville.com/earthmonitor/topten_monitor.htm

GLOBAL DROUGHT AND FLOOD WATCH
Stories and assessments about drought and flood conditions around the world; global information which provides the ability to assess the impacts to agriculture and the natural environment.

MAN OH MAN DID WE CALL THIS ONE AS PREDICTED LAST WEEK: The predicted great