I remember a while ago, when the prolonged solar minimum of this cycle was up for discussion, NASA published an article about how the currents on the sun had been running at a record speed for some time (can't remember exactly). This article acctually gained some media attention even here in Sweden, and was quickly converted to sensationalistic crap-articles with headlines like "is the sun running amok" etcetera.

I'm not saying that it wasn't fascinating, but it seems to me that people (and I) tend to blow things out of proportions just as soon as we hear words like record, abnormal etcetera. From here on I'll try to think twice before jumping to the conclussion that we are all doomed (I think that I have fallen for this one to many times now=) Again, thank you for taking the time to answer my questions

This shrinking co-ops with Dmitriev's statement

Richard, not even close. First of all, we have two probes on the fringes of the heliosphere and two others monitoring it (Ulysses and IBEX). No incoming shock wave that I know of, just the expected bow shock and termination shocked produced by any moving electromagnetic field. Secondly, there is nothing unusual going on with the sun or electromagnetic field of the earth.

Also, that Telegraph ends with this: "It is likely that there are natural variations in solar wind pressure and over time it will either stabilise or start going back up."

You're talking about a very tiny time sample we have to work with when it comes to monitoring the outer reaches of the solar system. Scientists don't yet know what "normal" is out there. At least with the sun itself, we can go back a couple of centuries, and even that is an astronomical blink.

Why else would the heliosphere have gone through this drastic change?

Why are you assuming the change is drastic?

It seems that Dmitriev acctually have some factual basis for his claims, true or not.

Nope.

But couldn't this (shrinking of the heliosphere) be something that also occurs every now and then? I mean, we haven't really been able to meassure the strength of the heliosphere for such a long time, thus it seems logical that earth could have survived many of these changes without us knowing they even took place.

Seems you and I thought the same thing on this at least.

Thanks for the reply, but what do you make of the quote from Cougar? … What would the effect of this be?

The effect is dust in space. In essence, the particles were larger than originally thought, so the sun isn't keeping them out as originally thought. Worst case, they might damage spacecrafts or cause an increase in meteor sightings. We've landed rovers on Mars, landed probes on Titan and Tempel 1, and the two Voyagers are moving into interstellar space after more than three functional decades. I think we're fine.

…not even effected by cosmic radiation (or have I nissed something).

It isn't uncommon for woo sites to try and link solar flares (or other cosmic phenomena) to earthquakes. It isn't hard to do, because there are several quakes per day on average. Just wait for a solar flare to happen, and odds are you can shoehorn an earthquake, somewhere, into any crackpot hypothesis.

You said that it hasn't been behaving oddly, but in the article linked to in my previous post it says that our magfield has decreased by 10% in only ten years. That seems a little odd to me.

The first line of the article states that the field strength has decreased by 10% over the last 150 years. If the rate remains steady, it could have real consequences for areas of the planet in a few centuries, but it isn't odd. If electromagnetic flux was that much of a problem, in all likelihood we wouldn't be here to talk about it.

Finally, why, or rather how, would Dmitriev reach the conlcussion that we might be in for a rough time?

I do not know, but he was obviously wrong.

If the quote from Cougar in my previous post are correct, which I still doubt it is, it might indicate that our solar system in fact have entered such a dense cloud and if so it could also be true that it might effect us.

The apparent reason for the presence of so much dust is it being larger than expected, thereby resisting repulsion by the sun. Even if we are in such a cloud, I repeat that there is nothing unusual going on with the sun or electromagnetic field of the earth.

This shrinking co-ops with Dmitriev's statement that "According to Dmitriev, the shock wave is now pushing into our heliosphere, penetrating into regions where the heat shields, had the good Lord seen fit to equip our Solar System with some, would have been placed. The net result is that large amounts of energy are being injected into the interplanetary domain, jolting the Sun into erratic behavior, distressing the Earth’s magnetic field, and quite possibly exacerbating the global warming our planet is experiencing."

Why else would the heliosphere have gone through this drastic change? It seems that Dmitriev acctually have some factual basis for his claims, true or not. But couldn't this (shrinking of the heliosphere) be something that also occurs every now and then? I mean, we haven't really been able to meassure the strength of the heliosphere for such a long time, thus it seems logical that earth could have survived many of these changes without us knowing they even took place.

I also thought about Dmitrievs conclussion, that the catastrophe would be because of "The global catastrophe—hurricanes, earthquakes, volcanoes synchronizing and amplifying each other in a positive feedback loop that will spin out of control, threatening the very existence of our modern civilization—we have been talking about should probably happen in ones, not tens, of years.” I can willingly admit that my knowledge about geophysics is limited to say the least, but as far as I know both earthquakes and volcanoes ar caused by plate tectonics etcetera, and not even effected by cosmic radiation (or have I nissed something).

And I also reacted to one thing that you said about the earth's mag field. You said that it hasn't been behaving oddly, but in the article linked to in my previous post it says that our magfield has decreased by 10% in only ten years. That seems a little odd to me.

Finally, why, or rather how, would Dmitriev reach the conlcussion that we might be in for a rough time? I mean, it can't be the first time our solar system have passed through an energized area such as this and after all, earth have survived that earlier

What about this website? http://www.truthandtalltales.com/a2012.html Could Dmitriev be onto something?

Laura, that material is debunked in spades on this website. I'm really not inclined to repeat what is already available. It's the same old crap about the Mayan calendar, Yellowstone hysteria that has nothing to do with 2012, misunderstanding of the solar cycle, etc. In fact, the solar maximum has been revised to 2013, so the information in the review is out of date. Also, Dmitirev's claims date back to 1997, and he is wrong on at least some counts, because there is nothing unusual going on with the sun or earth's electromagnetic field.

Could someone explain the aurora warnings on www.spaceweather.com?

An aurora warning simply means that particles ejected from the sun are going to hit the earth's electromagnetic field and cause auroras to form. It happens all the time.

Also, the solar activity where something exploded?

It's a solar flare, which also happen all the time. In fact, it is solar flares which sometimes correlate with coronal mass ejections, delivering the particles to earth that cause auroras. This is nothing unusual.

@TheGreatJuju, is there any proof for ANY of Dmitriev's claims?

I don't know what all of Dmitriev's claims are. His hysterical cries of impending doom were clearly false, and there is nothing unusual going on with the sun or the earth's electromagnetic field.

And finally, how is it even possible to tie his theories to the whole 2012 phenomena?

His claims sound ominous, and doomsayers like that.

Also, I managed to find the discussion about A. Dmitriev on Badastronomy forum.

Yes, I found it through Google cache. I don't visit that forum anymore, after a rather bad experience with a local god (and by "god," I mean "moderator").

Is this true, and if so, is there any (even infantisimally small) chance that the effects of this could be catastrophic?

Is there any reason to think so? I've seen nothing.

What do near-earth supernovas have to do with Dmitriev?

The American Scientist link is dead.

The Space.com article clearly says, "At that rate of decline, the field could vanish altogether in 1,500 to 2,000 years, said Jeremy Bloxham of Harvard University." This isn't entirely out of line from what is thought about geomagnetic reversals at present. Here is a much newer article on geomag history. Again, what does this have to do with Dmitriev?

"Government program to predict future human life-affecting changes through cosmic processes" is a horrible, woo-friendly description of IGPP. The only direct hit when Googling that phrase is the BAUT post itself. That isn't what they do. See the website. There's a description of each research area. Even if something like the aforementioned description was on the agenda back then, so what?

Thanks again!!

http://www.truthandtalltales.com/a2012.html

Could Dmitriev be onto something?

Thanks!!

Is this true, and if so, is there any (even infantisimally small) chance that the effects of this could be catastrophic?

I also found a post by a person named Anthrage somewhat interresting (perhaps due to my tendency to move towards the fringes=). He gave a few links in support to what was proposed by Dmitriev (I think). The links where the following:

Species-impacting Cosmic Events and Environments (http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2003/06jan_bubble.htm)

Potentially-hostile Galactic Evironment (http://www.americanscientist.org/template/AssetDetail/assetid/21173?fulltext=true)

Weakened Magnetic Field (http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/earth_magnetic_031212.html)

Government program to predict future human life-affecting changes through cosmic processes (http://www.igpp.lanl.gov)

I myself don't really know what to make of this, but it seems to be some sort of discussion going on out there about if this could affect human life or not. So, in the quest for enlightenment, is there anything that threatens our sole existence in the near future?

Investigate for your own interest if Dmitrievs theories are correct

These are not theories. They are claims that have been around for years. The work you cited is dated 1997, so we're already beyond the "ones" of years. It should also be noted that Dmitriev is a geophysicist, not an astrophysicist, and his claims are way outside the mainstream, as evidenced here:

There are three important energy sources denied or completely downplayed by orthodox scientists.

I smell woo.

The heliosphere has created a shock wave out in front of it as it pushes away particles of interstellar space.

I don't know what you mean "has created a shock wave." Anything with an electromagnetic field is going to feature a bow shock and a termination shock. This isn't something new. Or are you referring to something else?

The net result is that large amounts of energy are being injected into the interplanetary domain, jolting the Sun into erratic behavior, distressing the Earth’s magnetic field, and quite possibly exacerbating the global warming our planet is experiencing.

The problem here is that the Sun is not behaving erratically, and Earth's electromagnetic field is not in distress any more than it is normally.

From 2008: http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2008/11jul_solarcycleupdate/
For space weather monitoring: http://www.spaceweather.com

The atmosphere of Mars is becoming denser and therefore more potentially biofriendly

Source? And even if the atmosphere is more dense, relative to some time in the past, has Dmitriev's explanation undergone peer review?

“Increasing solar activity is a direct result of the increasing flows of matter, energy, and information we are experiencing as we move into the interstellar energy cloud. New demands are being placed upon the Sun, and we are experiencing the impact of these demands on our own planet,”

There is no evidence of "increasing solar activity" outside of the expected variations observed across any ~11-year period.

“There are absolutely unambiguous and reliable signs of this threatening phenomenon [the shock wave], related both to the Earth and the adjacent space…What really matters for us is to understand and accept them and endeavor to survive,”

Alarmist nonsense. Some people on the Bad Astronomy forum speculated several years ago that Dmitriev's work was possibly translated poorly, making him sound more mystical and alarmist than he actually is. I hope that's the case.

"he did say, in closing, that, “The global catastrophe—hurricanes, earthquakes, volcanoes synchronizing and amplifying each other in a positive feedback loop that will spin out of control, threatening the very existence of our modern civilization—we have been talking about should probably happen in ones, not tens, of years.”

Pure assertion, and we unsurprisingly see no more signs of this chaos and destruction now than in 1997.

The only book I found where the author had put much travel, effort and research into the 2012 apocalypse was Lawrence E. Joseph. His book does a decent job of investigating the various myths, religious and scientific basis for a 2012 dooms day scenario.
The best information I found was from a Russian Dr.
Alexey Dmitriev, a geophysicist with the Russian Academy of Sciences. He claims the our solar system has just entered a highly energized area of space that is causing all of the planets to heat up and the sun to react strangely. His comments as follows:

"There are three important energy sources denied or completely downplayed by orthodox scientists.These are (1) the dynamic, incremental conditions of the interplanetary medium, (2)energetic effects of the planetary configuration of the Solar System, and (3)impulses from the center of the galaxy,”

Dmitriev believes that the entire Solar System is heating up. Think global warming, to the zillionth degree.
Dmitriev explains, the heliosphere has hit a rough patch, specifically, magnetized strips and striations containing hydrogen, helium, hydroxyl and compounds: space debris, perhaps the result of an exploded star.

The heliosphere has created a shock wave out in front of it as it pushes away particles of interstellar space. That shock wave has become larger and thicker as the heliosphere has entered this denser region of space, where there are more particles to push out of the way. Dmitriev estimates that the heliosphere’s shock wave has expanded tenfold, from 3 or 4 AU, to 40 AU or more.

“This shock wave thickening has caused the formation of a collusive plasma in a parietal layer, which has led to a plasma overdraft around the Solar System, and then to its breakthrough into interplanetary domains…This breakthrough constitutes a kind of matter and energy donation made by interplanetary space to our Solar System,”

According to Dmitriev, the shock wave is now pushing into our heliosphere, penetrating into regions where the heat shields, had the good Lord seen fit to equip our Solar System with some, would have been placed. The net result is that large amounts of energy are being injected into the interplanetary domain, jolting the Sun into erratic behavior, distressing the Earth’s magnetic field, and quite possibly exacerbating the global warming our planet is experiencing.

Dmitriev and his colleagues discovered the shock wave by analyzing Voyager satellite data from the outer reaches of the Solar System. The mission comprised two satellites and launched in 1977,Using the Voyager data as a baseline, Dmitriev and his colleagues compared it with more recent research culled from Russian and Western scientific journals, as well as NASA and ESA data.

The interstellar energy cloud has been much studied by Russian scientists, notably Vladimir B. Baranov, who in 1995 was named Soros Professor at Moscow State University.

The shock wave is strongest at the leading edge of the heliosphere as it moves through interstellar space, just as the wake of a boat is choppiest in front, at the point where the hull first slices through the water.Thus the shock wave most severely impacts the atmospheres, climates, and magnetic fields of the outer planets:

The shock wave’s effects have begun to be detected in the inner planets as well. The atmosphere of Mars is becoming denser and therefore more potentially biofriendly,“Increasing solar activity is a direct result of the increasing flows of matter, energy, and information we are experiencing as we move into the interstellar energy cloud. New demands are being placed upon the Sun, and we are experiencing the impact of these demands on our own planet,”

“There are absolutely unambiguous and reliable signs of this threatening phenomenon [the shock wave], related both to the Earth and the adjacent space…What really matters for us is to understand and accept them and endeavor to survive,”

he did say, in closing, that, “The global catastrophe—hurricanes, earthquakes, volcanoes synchronizing and amplifying each other in a positive feedback loop that will spin out of control, threatening the very existence of our modern civilization—we have been talking about should probably happen in ones, not tens, of years.”

Reference: Dmitriev, Alexey N. “Planetophysical State of the Earth and Life.” IICA Transactions (1997), translated by A. N. Dmitriev, Andrew Tetenov, and Earl L. Crockett, Millennium Group, January 1, 1998. tmgnow.com/repository/global/planetophysical.htm.

Investigate for your own interest if Dmitrievs theories are correct