Scientific Reports published the research from academics from Northumbria University, the University of Bradford, the University of Hull as well as Azerbaijan’s Nasir al-Din al-Tusi Shamakhi Astrophysical Observatory. The authors claim the increase in global temperatures by 1C (33.8F) was due to natural solar cycles as well as the Sun’s movement around the barycentre, the centre of mass in the Solar System. The paper claimed that by the 27th Century, temperatures might increase by 3C (37.4F).
The University of Edinburgh’s Ken Rice was one of a number of physicists to accuse the report of making basic errors: “It’s well known that the Sun moves around the barycentre of the solar system due to the influence of the other solar system bodies, mainly Jupiter.
“This does not mean, as the paper is claiming, that this then leads to changes in the distance between the Sun and the Earth.
“The claim that we will see warming in the coming centuries because the sun will move closer to the Earth as it moves around the solar system barycentre is very simply wrong.”
Professor Rice said it was “embarrassing” the paper was published and called for Scientific Reports to remove it.
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Lead author Valentina Zharkova dismissed Mr Rice’s criticisms while speaking to New Scientist: “The close links between oscillations of solar baseline magnetic field, solar irradiance and temperature are established in our paper without any involvement of solar inertial motion.”
The Independent have reported Ms Zharkova gave a presentation to climate change sceptic group Global Warming Policy Forum, a think tank and lobby group founded by former Chancellor and Energy Secretary Nigel Lawson.
Scientific Reports have launched an investigation into the study.
A spokesman said: “This process is ongoing and we cannot comment further at this stage.”
Scientific Reports was founded in 2011 and it became the largest scientific journal in the world five years later.
The journal has an impact factor of 4.525.
This figure refers to how often a journal is cited by others.
However, this figure is way behind some journals with Nature, who published James Watson and Francis Crick’s famous study on the double helix structure of DNA and the paper on Dolly the Sheep registers at 41.577.