Farewell Sunspots?

http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2009/03sep_sunspots.htm?list1302321

Because I know that is has happened before - the Maunder Minimum was a period between 1645 to 1715 where sunspots were very rare compared to today - I am quite concerned that the decline in the magnetic field strength of sunspots will continue.

"According to our measurements, sunspots seem to form only if the magnetic field is stronger than about 1500 gauss," says Livingston. "If the current trend continues, we'll hit that threshold in the near future, and solar magnetic fields would become too weak to form sunspots."

What could it mean for us? We could be entering a phase of global cooling. According to Wikipedia:

The Maunder Minimum coincided with the middle — and coldest part — of the Little Ice Age, during which Europe and North America, and perhaps much of the rest of the world, were subjected to bitterly cold winters. Whether there is a causal connection between low sunspot activity and cold winters is the subject of ongoing debate...