How magnetic storms really affect technology and people
Miscellaneous / / December 14, 2021
They are even blamed for the collapse of the USSR.
What are magnetic storms
Magnetic stormsA. D. Shevnin. Magnetic storms / Great Russian encyclopedia - these are strong perturbations of the Earth's magnetic field, which abruptly disrupt its normal course and last from several hours to several days. When they occur, they are observed simultaneously throughout the planet.
Magnetic or, more precisely, geomagnetic storms are part of the Earth's space weather. They cause auroras, they canGeomagnetic Storms / NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center negatively affect the orbital and terrestrial technology, as well as the condition of some people.
Why do magnetic storms happen
The solar wind - a stream of charged particles emanating from the Sun - constantly affectsGeomagnetic Storms / NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center to the outer, highest part of the Earth's magnetic field (magnetosphere). Because of this, she is always in such a twisted state:
However, the solar wind flux is far from always stable and can fluctuate. Its perturbations are caused by coronal holes and mass ejections (the latter are often confused with flares on the sun).
Blizzard-provoked storms are most severe. During these phenomena, the closest star to us releases billions of tons of plasma. It looks likeThe Day the Sun Brought Darkness / NASA to simultaneously detonate thousands of nuclear bombs. If the flow was directed towards the Earth, particles can reach it. It usually takesGeomagnetic Storms / NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center two or three days, but with powerful emissions, the plasma is capable of covering a distance of 150 million kilometers in 18 hours.
When the stream reaches our planet, it causesA. D. Shevnin. Magnetic storms / Great Russian encyclopedia a shock wave that compresses the Earth's magnetosphere. The collision of the protons of the solar wind with the hydrogen atoms of our atmosphere forms an electric current. Gradually, as the storm decays, the magnetosphere returns to its normal state, and the current decays.
Coronal holes have a slightly different principle of action. In these regions of the solar surface, the magnetic field is weaker than in the rest of the star. Therefore, a stream of solar wind comes out of them, which moves faster than usual: 500-800 kilometers per second instead of 1. K. Fox. Coronal Holes and Fast Solar Wind / NASA
2. Solar Wind / NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center 300–500. Such flux can cause mild magnetic storms. However, they sometimes lastGeomagnetic Storms / NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center much longer and generate more energy.
Coronal hole in the sun. Photo: NASA / SDO / Wikimedia Commons
The magnetic fields of the sun. The letter B stands for a coronal hole. Image: Sebman81 / Wikimedia Commons
Therefore, the frequency of magnetic storms is directly related to solar activity. This, in turn, rises and fades, forming cycles lasting an average of 11 years. Therefore, in a month mayA. D. Shevnin. Magnetic storms / Great Russian encyclopedia happen up to eight magnetic storms during the period of maximum intensity or none at the minimum. At the same time, high solar activity is far from alwaysV. N. Obridko. On the so-called "geomagnetic forecasts of unfavorable days" / In Defense of Science No. 2 leads to strong geomagnetic disturbances.
Is it possible to measure the strength of a magnetic storm
The intensity of magnetic storms is measuredGeomagnetic Storms / NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center using special indexes. Scientists mainly use Dst: it is calculated based on the readings of magnetometers from several stations located at the Earth's magnetic equator. The data is updated every hour. In a calm environment, Dst ranges from -20 to 20 nanotesla. A storm is considered a situation when it drops below -50 nanotesla.
The most powerful magnetic storm recorded is estimatedY. I. Yermolaev, I. G. Lodkina, N. S. Nikolaeva et al. Occurrence rate of extreme magnetic storms / Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics at −1 760 nT according to Dst. This is relatively small. For example, to force frog to levitate, need toM. V. Berry, A. K. Geim. Of flying frogs and levitrons / European Journal of Physics about 16 Tesla, that is, 16 * 10⁹, or 16,000,000,000 nanotesla.
For ordinary people, the G index is more understandable, which evaluatesNOAA Space Weather Scales / NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center magnetic storms in terms of their danger. Five levels stand out.
- G1 - minor magnetic storms. Occur about 1,700 times per solar cycle. They can provoke weak fluctuations in the power grid, slightly affect the operation of satellites, and cause aurora.
- G2 - moderate. Approximately 660 times per cycle. Sometimes they lead to voltage surges and damage to transformers in northern latitudes, make adjustments to the movement of spacecraft. Such storms cause auroras to appear further from the poles.
- G3 - strong. About 200 per cycle. Such disturbances may require power system voltage adjustments. Also, sometimes false tripping of fuses occurs, there are interruptions in satellite navigation and radio communications. Auroras are visible even closer to the equator.
- G4 - heavy. About 100 per cycle. Voltage monitoring problems and erroneous tripping of protective devices are common. Such storms can create electric currents in pipelines and degrade radio communications and satellite navigation. Sometimes auroras are observed at the level of the Krasnodar Territory.
- G5 - extremely strong. About 4 per cycle. They can lead to large-scale problems with the power grid (some systems completely fail or turn off), serious malfunctions in the operation of satellites. They can form strong currents in pipelines, deprive radio communications for several days. Auroras are possible in subtropical areas such as Cairo.
How magnetic storms affect technology
Powerful magnetic storms obstructGeomagnetic Storms / NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center propagation of signals in the ionosphere. That is why the above errors and stops occur in the operation of GPS, high-frequency radio communications and some military systems. early detection.
In addition, magnetic storms for a short time seem to expandGeomagnetic Storms / NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center atmosphere. This slows down the near-earth satellites, and they can begin to lose altitude. For this reason, for example, the Soviet space station Salyut-7.
But the most tangible problems are caused by the abilityGeomagnetic Storms / NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center magnetic storms generate electric currents in all metallic objects. And the larger the latter, for example, a power line or a pipeline, the more significant the currents. Passing through devices, they can destroy them: equipment burns out from excessive stress. Transformers suffer the most from this.
What have strong storms already led to
The largest storm of our time in terms of its consequences (−589 nanotesla) occurred on March 13, 1989. Then the entire Canadian province of Quebec remainedThe Day the Sun Brought Darkness / NASA without electricity for 12 hours. At the same time, the infrastructure was out of order in less than 2 minutes.
The magnetic disturbance was so strong that the northern lights could be seen even in Cuba and Florida. Grid disruptions and losses were observed throughout the United States and Canada, although no one was injured other than Quebec.
Some of the satellites lost contact with the Earth for several hours. Equipment problems also arose on the American spacecraft Discovery. In addition, the underground broadcasting of Radio Free Europe was interrupted for some time on the territory of the USSR.
And in 1972, a powerful magnetic storm provokedD. J. Knipp, B. J. Fraser, M. A. Shea et al. On the Little-Known Consequences of the 4 August 1972 Ultra-Fast Coronal Mass Ejecta: Facts, Commentary, and Call to Action / Space Weather massive power outages and communications in the United States. In Vietnam, because of it, several dozen sea mines with magnetic fuses, placed by the American military, went off.
Another violent storm occurred in November 2003. Then the American GPS Data Correction System (WAAS) shut downSevere Space Weather Events. Understanding Societal and Economic Impacts: A Workshop Report / The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, Medicine for 30 hours, the work of many satellites was interrupted, and the Japanese ADEOS-2 received serious damage altogether.
The already mentioned most powerful storm in the entire history of observations (-1 760 nanotesla) occurredA Super Solar Flare / NASA Science the same in 1859. She burned several telegraph lines in the United States, auroras were observed in tropical latitudes, and because of the bright sky, it was as bright as day at night. This event was named Carrington in honor of the astronomer Richard-Christopher Carrington, who recorded everything.
What a powerful magnetic storm can lead to today
The likelihood that we will be hit by a surge similar in power to the Carrington event is rather low any time soon.P. Riley. On the probability of occurrence of extreme space weather events / Space Weather. However, scientists do not exclude this possibility. And they have no consensus on how serious the consequences will be.
There are, for example, calculations according to which, in the United States alone, a storm like the Carrington one is capable ofSevere Space Weather Events. Understanding Societal and Economic Impacts: A Workshop Report / The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, Medicine result in damage of one to two trillion dollars. And this is only in the first year. Repairing damaged systems can take several years. The lack of electricity will supplyB. Lassen. Is livestock production prepared for an electrically paralysed world? / Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture endangering the food system.
The only reassuring thing is that such events, in the opinion of RAS physicists, occurY. I. Yermolaev, I. G. Lodkina, N. S. Nikolaeva et al. Occurrence rate of extreme magnetic storms / Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics no more than about once every 500 years. After all, the Sun does not always shoot plasma streams in the direction of the Earth. So, a powerful blowNear Miss: The Solar Superstorm of July 2012 / NASA Science in July 2012 just launched particles into space and did not cause significant magnetic storms on Earth.
In addition, not all strong outrages lead to catastrophic consequences. For example, in July 2000 there wasExtreme Events and Natural Hazards: The Complexity Perspective a storm with a capacity of -300 nanotesla, but it did not affect the power system in any way.
True, the new storm may even be stronger than Carrington's. So, the data of radiocarbon analysis of ancient Japanese cedars showed that in 774 the disturbance of the magnetic field wasYU. N. Efremov. Threats from Space / In Defense of Science No. 12 20 times more powerful than in 1859.
How magnetic storms affect people
Magnetic storms are believed to be to blame for mood swings, aggressiveness, depression, and health problems. They are credited with the high risk of disasters and even some historical events.
And storms do affect some people. Although not easy to spotV. N. Obridko. On the so-called "geomagnetic forecasts of unfavorable days" / In Defense of Science No. 2. This requires a large array of statistical data, and the results can be distorted by a huge number of factors.
At the moment, there are several studies that have confirmed the effect of magnetic disturbances on the cardiovascular system. For example, during a storm, people may have high blood pressure.S. Ghione, L. Mezzasalma, C. Del Seppia et al. Do geomagnetic disturbances of solar origin affect arterial blood pressure? / Journal of Human Hypertension and frequencyA. Alabdulgader, R. McCraty, M. Atkinson et al. Long-Term Study of Heart Rate Variability Responses to Changes in the Solar and Geomagnetic Environment / Scientific Reports heart rate. An analysis of hospital reports from New Zealand, Australia, the United Kingdom, France and Sweden for 23 years also showedV. L. Feigin, P. G. Parmar, S. Barker-Collo et al. Geomagnetic Storms Can Trigger Stroke / Strokethat coronal ejections increase the risk of stroke by 19%. And the authors of the study, conducted in 263 US cities, believeC. L. Zilli Vieira, D. Alvares, A. Blomberg et al. Geomagnetic disturbances driven by solar activity enhance total and cardiovascular mortality risk in 263 U.S. cities / Environmental Healththat increased geomagnetic activity increases mortality from cardiovascular diseases and heart attacks.
Therefore, people with cardiovascular diseases during geomagnetic storms shouldYU. N. Efremov. Threats from Space / In Defense of Science No. 12 be prepared: stock up on medications prescribed by your doctor, keep your phone with you or warn your loved ones.
But the connection of magnetic storms with other health problems, such as depressionR. W. Kay. Geomagnetic Storms: Association with Incidence of Depression as Measured by Hospital Admission / The British Journal of Psychiatry, scientists could not find.
The same is with the influence of geomagnetic activity on human behavior. All this is just fiction. For example, some supporters of this view argue that the Earth and the Sun as living beings participated in the events of August 1991, when the State Emergency Committee failed to stop the collapse of the USSR. Allegedly, then there was a strong surge in solar activity. He was really observedV. N. Obridko. On the so-called "geomagnetic forecasts of unfavorable days" / In Defense of Science No. 2. But not only in August, but for four whole months: from June to October. And the geomagnetic field during this period was completely calm.
How to protect yourself from magnetic storms
NASA, together with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the US Federal Emergency Management Agency and others, developedNational Space Weather Strategy and Action Plan Released / US Space Weather Prediction Center strategy and plan of action in the event of deterioration in space weather. It was supposed to strengthen the protection of the population and energy facilities from electromagnetic impulses.
For example, in the event of a failure of network components,Recovery Transformer (RecX) / US Department of Homeland Security standby mobile transformers are used. Thanks to them, it will be possible to quickly restore the operation of the power grid during the repair of the destroyed stationary device.
Critical objects can be protected from breakage using special devices. For example, capacitor banks that store excess energy, or Faraday cells that dissipate it.
But a timely power outage and warning will help the best. meteorological people. And for this you need to be able to predict solar activity.
Is it possible to predict magnetic storms
Yes, you can. For example, in the USA this is done bySolar Cycle 25 Is Here. NASA, NOAA Scientists Explain What That Means / NASA Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC). It is part of NOAA. SWPC and NOAA employees use data from Earth satellites and observations of space bodies for forecasts. Scientists create and improve predictive models to help them predict weather in space, just like meteorologists do.
However, you need to understand that no weekly or monthly geomagnetic forecasts are possible.V. N. Obridko. On the so-called "geomagnetic forecasts of unfavorable days" / In Defense of Science No. 2, because the situation on our star can change in minutes. And even if scientists know that a mass ejection has occurred, they cannot state with high accuracy whether it will enter the Earth or not.
The longest-term forecast - 27-day - is based on the period of the Sun's revolution around its axis. He does not indicateV. N. Obridko. On the so-called "geomagnetic forecasts of unfavorable days" / In Defense of Science No. 2 the date and time of the storm, but only informs the likelihood that potentially dangerous zones may be directed to our planet.
The most accurate geomagnetic forecasts are madeV. N. Obridko. On the so-called "geomagnetic forecasts of unfavorable days" / In Defense of Science No. 2 a day or a few hours before the storm hits the Earth. They are based on data from astronomical satellites that record solar wind disturbances. Current information can be viewed on the sites NOAA and FIAN - Physical Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences.
Read also☀️✨🌍
- 14 best apps for astronomy lovers
- 6 startling facts about planet Earth that are hard to believe
- How much water does it take to extinguish the sun
- 9 possible catastrophes that can destroy humanity forever
- 10 misconceptions about space you are ashamed to believe