How the moon influences temperatures on Earth

The temperature on Earth is influenced by the moon, but the old belief that frost is more likely during a full moon is not true.

The University of Reading has a new research looking at the regular 18.6-year cycle during which the moon's orbital plane shifts in relation to the Earth. This cycle can be observed by slight changes in where the moon rises and sets. The tides are affected by how warm water from the surface of the ocean mixes with cold water below. How quickly the sea absorbs heat is influenced by this.

The paper states that the lunar cycles can heat or cool the globe by 0.04C at their extremes. That is small to humans, but enough to influence climate change modelling. The effect could help explain the apparent slowdown in warming in the 2000s.

This work provides an insight into the many complex factors that climate scientists have to deal with, and how they are working to account for every possible influence, even those that might at first seem like lunacy.