Between 1645 and 1715, when solar radiation was less, the number of shipwrecks in the Antilles decreased. Digital:This article is taken from issue 830 of Sciences et Avenir magazine, currently on newsstands.
PALEOCLIMATOLOGY. If the Spanish maritime trade remained flourishing in the Caribbean in the 17th century, it is in particular thanks to... the decrease in intensity of solar activity between 1645 and 1715. This phenomenon, called "Maunder minimum", has indeed resulted in the virtual disappearance of tropical cyclones in the region, sparing ships, American researchers have demonstrated. The study of 657 shipwrecks of Spanish vessels in the Caribbean between 1495 and 1825 revealed that their frequency was divided at least by four during the Maunder Minimum. The decrease in storms can be seen in the regular appearance of the rings of centuries-old pines on an island off the coast of Florida. This aspect testifies to the lack of disturbance of tree growth due to salt water flooding caused by cyclones. The reduction in solar radiation may have caused a slight cooling of the waters and a modification of the atmospheric circulation sufficient to affect the development of cyclones.