Contribution of the Solar Constant Variations to Calculations of Insolation for the Holocene Period

Abstract

Insolation is one of the most important factors that affect the changes in the global climate and weather. Therefore, its accurate calculation is a relevant question of modern climatology. In this study, we present the calculation of the annual insolation over the course of the Holocene, taking into account the variations of the solar constant estimated from the radiocarbon content in tree rings (Vieira et al., 2011). It has been found that the insolation changes in latitudinal belts form a trend determined by the Earth’s spatial position; the latitudinal gradient of insolation increases from the poles to the equator with time. The variations in integral insolation over the sphere and integral insolations over the hemispheres have a minor trend caused by the orbital component, but they are mostly determined by the solar constant variations (its contribution to the insolation amplitude variations is ten times greater than the contribution of orbital parameters). These results can be used to interpret global climate changes.