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This article is about Geomagnetic storm. For other uses of "magnetic storm" and "magnetic storms", see Magnetic storm (disambiguation).
Solar particles interact with Earth's magnetosphere.
Solar particles interact with Earth's magnetosphere. A magnetosphere' is a highly magnetized region around and possessed by an Astronomical object.

A geomagnetic storm is a temporary disturbance of the Earth's magnetosphere caused by a disturbance in space weather. EARTH was a short-lived Japanese vocal trio which released 6 singles and 1 album between 2000 and 2001 A magnetosphere' is a highly magnetized region around and possessed by an Astronomical object. Space weather is the concept of changing environmental conditions in Outer space. Associated with solar coronal mass ejections (CME), coronal holes, or solar flares, a geomagnetic storm is caused by a solar wind shock wave which typically strikes the Earth's magnetic field 24 to 36 hours after the event. A coronal mass ejection (CME is an ejection of material from the solar Corona, usually observed with a white-light Coronagraph. A corona is a type of plasma " atmosphere " of the Sun or other celestial body extending millions of Kilometres into space most easily A solar flare is a violent explosion in a star's (like the Sun 's atmosphere releasing as much Energy as 6 × 1025 Joules Solar flares The solar wind is a Stream of charged particles&mdasha plasma &mdashthat are ejected from the upper atmosphere of the Sun. Earth 's magnetic field (and the surface magnetic field) is approximately a Magnetic dipole, with one pole near the North pole (see This only happens if the shock wave travels in a direction toward Earth. The solar wind pressure on the magnetosphere will increase or decrease depending on the Sun's activity. These solar wind pressure changes modify the electric currents in the ionosphere. The ionosphere is the uppermost part of the atmosphere, distinguished because it is Ionized by solar radiation Magnetic storms usually last 24 to 48 hours, but some may last for many days. In 1989, an electromagnetic storm disrupted power throughout most of Quebec [1] — it caused auroras as far south as Texas [2]. Quebec (kwɨˈbɛk Texas ( is a state geographically located in the South Central United States and is also known as the Lone Star State.

Contents

Historical occurrences

On 13 March 1989 a severe geomagnetic storm caused the collapse of the Hydro-Québec power grid in a matter of seconds as equipment protection relays tripped in a cascading sequence of events [3][4]. Events 1138 - Cardinal Gregorio Conti is elected Antipope as Victor IV, succeeding Anacletus II. Year 1989 ( MCMLXXXIX) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link displays 1989 Gregorian calendar) Hydro-Québec is a Crown corporation that provides electricity to Quebec, Canada and the north-eastern parts of the United States Six million people were left without power for nine hours, with significant economic loss. The storm even caused auroras as far south as Texas [5]. Texas ( is a state geographically located in the South Central United States and is also known as the Lone Star State. The geomagnetic storm causing this event was itself the result of a Coronal Mass Ejection, ejected from the Sun on March 9, 1989. A coronal mass ejection (CME is an ejection of material from the solar Corona, usually observed with a white-light Coronagraph. The Sun (Sol is the Star at the center of the Solar System. Events 590 - Bahram Chobin is crowned as king Barham VI of Persia. Year 1989 ( MCMLXXXIX) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link displays 1989 Gregorian calendar) [6]

In August 1989, another storm affected micro chips, leading to a halt of all trading on Toronto's stock market [7]. Toronto (təˈrɒntoʊ colloquially pronounced or) is the largest city in Canada and is the provincial capital of Ontario A stock market, or (equity market is a private or public market for the trading of company Stock and derivatives of company

Since 1989 power companies in North America, the UK, Northern Europe and elsewhere have invested time and effort in evaluating the geomagnetically induced current (GIC) risk and in developing mitigation strategies. Geomagnetically induced currents (GIC affecting the normal operation of long technological conductor systems are a manifestation at ground level of Space weather

Since 1995, geomagnetic storms and solar flares are observed from the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) joint-NASA-European Space Agency satellite. A solar flare is a violent explosion in a star's (like the Sun 's atmosphere releasing as much Energy as 6 × 1025 Joules Solar flares The Solar and Heliospheric Observatory ( SOHO) is a Spacecraft that was launched on a Lockheed Martin Atlas IIAS launch vehicle on December The National Aeronautics and Space Administration ( NASA, ˈnæsə is an agency of the United States government, responsible for the nation's public space program The European Space Agency ( ESA) established in 1975 is an intergovernmental organisation dedicated to the exploration of space, currently with 17 member

Interactions with planetary processes

The solar wind also carries with it the magnetic field of the Sun. This field will have either a North or South orientation. If the solar wind has energetic bursts, contracting and expanding the magnetosphere, or if the solar wind takes a southward polarization, geomagnetic storms can be expected. Polarization ( ''Brit'' polarisation) is a property of Waves that describes the orientation of their oscillations The southward field causes magnetic reconnection of the dayside magnetopause, rapidly injecting magnetic and particle energy into the Earth's magnetosphere. Magnetic reconnection is the process whereby magnetic field lines from different magnetic domains are spliced to one another changing their patterns of connectivity with respect to the

During a geomagnetic storm, the ionosphere's F2 layer will become unstable, fragment, and may even disappear. The F region of the Ionosphere is home to the F Layer of ionization also called the Appleton layer, after the English physicist Edward Appleton In the Northern and Southern pole regions of the Earth, auroras (aka Northern lights) will be observable in the sky.

Magnetosphere in the near-Earth space environment.
Magnetosphere in the near-Earth space environment.

Geomagnetic storm effects

Radiation hazards to humans

Intense solar flares release very-high-energy particles that can be as injurious to humans as the low-energy radiation from nuclear blasts. A solar flare is a violent explosion in a star's (like the Sun 's atmosphere releasing as much Energy as 6 × 1025 Joules Solar flares Nuclear blast may refer to Nuclear explosion Nuclear Blast, a record label Earth's atmosphere and magnetosphere allow adequate protection at ground level, but astronauts in space are subject to potentially lethal doses of radiation. Temperature and layers The temperature of the Earth's atmosphere varies with altitude the mathematical relationship between temperature and altitude varies among five A magnetosphere' is a highly magnetized region around and possessed by an Astronomical object. An astronaut or cosmonaut (космона́вт) is a person trained Image talkNew_radiation_symbol_ISO_21482svg for details --> Ionizing radiation The penetration of high-energy particles into living cells can cause chromosome damage, cancer, and a host of other health problems. A chromosome is an organized structure of DNA and Protein that is found in cells. Cancer (medical term Malignant Neoplasm) is a class of Diseases in which a group of cells display uncontrolled Large doses can be fatal immediately. Solar protons with energies greater than 30 Megaelectronvolts(MeV) are particularly hazardous. The proton ( Greek πρῶτον / proton "first" is a Subatomic particle with an Electric charge of one positive In October 1989, the Sun produced enough energetic particles that an astronaut on the Moon, wearing only a space suit and caught out in the brunt of the storm, would probably have died; the expected dose would be about 7000 rem. Year 1989 ( MCMLXXXIX) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link displays 1989 Gregorian calendar) A space suit is a complex system of Garments equipment and environmental systems designed to keep a person alive and comfortable in the harsh environment of outer space The Röntgen ( roentgen) equivalent in man or rem (symbol rem) (Astronauts who had time to gain safety in a shelter beneath moon soil would have absorbed only slight amounts of radiation. ) The astronauts on the Mir station were subjected to daily doses of about twice the yearly dose on the ground, and during the solar storm at the end of 1989 they absorbed their full-year radiation dose limit in just a few hours. Mir (Мир which can mean both Peace and World, and was the name given to peasant communes in pre-revolutionary Russia was a Soviet (and

Solar proton events can also produce elevated radiation aboard aircraft flying at high altitudes. A Solar proton event occurs when Protons emitted by the Sun become accelerated to very high energies either close to the Sun during a Solar flare or in interplanetary A jet airliner, sometimes contracted to jetliner, is a passenger Airplane (passenger Aeroplane) that is powered by Jet engines. Although these risks are small, monitoring of solar proton events by satellite instrumentation allows the occasional exposure to be monitored and evaluated, and eventually the flight paths and altitudes adjusted in order to lower the absorbed dose of the flight crews.

Biology

There is a growing body of evidence that changes in the geomagnetic field affect biological systems. Studies indicate that physically stressed human biological systems may respond to fluctuations in the geomagnetic field. Interest and concern in this subject have led the International Union of Radio Science to create a new commission entitled Commission K - Electromagnetics in Biology and Medicine[1] Current chair Dr. The International Union of Radio Science (in French, l'Union Radio-Scientifique Internationale - URSI) is one of 26 international scientific unions affiliated Frank Prato[2].

Possibly the most closely studied of the variable Sun's biological effects has been the degradation of homing pigeons' navigational abilities during geomagnetic storms. The homing pigeon is a variety of domesticated Rock Pigeon ( Columba livia domestica) that has been selectively Pigeons and other migratory animals, such as dolphins and whales, have internal biological compasses composed of the mineral magnetite wrapped in bundles of nerve cells. Dolphins are Marine mammals that are closely related to Whales and Porpoises There are almost forty species of dolphin in seventeen genera. Whales are marine mammals which are neither Dolphins (ie members of the families Delphinidae or Platanistoidae) nor Porpoises Orcas Magnetite is not to be confused with Magnesite or Maghemite. Magnetite is a ferrimagnetic Mineral with chemical While this probably is not their primary method of navigation, there have been many pigeon race smashes, a term used when only a small percentage of birds return home from a release site. Because these losses have occurred during geomagnetic storms, pigeon handlers have learned to ask for geomagnetic alerts and warnings as an aid to scheduling races.

Disrupted systems

Communications

Many communication systems use the ionosphere to reflect radio signals over long distances. Ionospheric storms can affect radio communication at all latitudes. Some radio frequencies are absorbed and others are reflected, leading to rapidly fluctuating signals and unexpected propagation paths. Radio propagation is a term used to explain how Radio waves behave when they are Transmitted, or are propagated from one point on the Earth TV and commercial radio stations are little affected by solar activity, but ground-to-air, ship-to-shore, shortwave broadcast, and amateur radio (mostly the bands below 30 MHz) are frequently disrupted. Shortwave Radio operates between the frequencies of 3000 KHz (3 For the band see Broadcast (band Broadcasting is the distribution of audio and/or Video signals which transmit Amateur radio, often called ham radio, is both a Hobby and a service in which participants called "hams" use various types of Radio communications Radio operators using HF bands rely upon solar and geomagnetic alerts to keep their communication circuits up and running.

Some military detection or early warning systems are also affected by solar activity. The over-the-horizon radar bounces signals off the ionosphere in order to monitor the launch of aircraft and missiles from long distances. Over-the-horizon radar, or OTH (sometimes also beyond the horizon, or BTH) is a design concept for Radar systems to allow them to detect targets During geomagnetic storms, this system can be severely hampered by radio clutter. Some submarine detection systems use the magnetic signatures of submarines as one input to their locating schemes. Geomagnetic storms can mask and distort these signals.

The Federal Aviation Administration routinely receives alerts of solar radio bursts so that they can recognize communication problems and forego unnecessary maintenance. The Federal Aviation Administration ( FAA) is an agency of the United States Department of Transportation with authority to regulate and oversee all aspects of When an aircraft and a ground station are aligned with the Sun, jamming of air-control radio frequencies can occur. This can also happen when an Earth station, a satellite, and the Sun are in alignment.

The telegraph lines in the past were affected by geomagnetic storms as well. The electrical telegraph is a telegraph that uses electric signals The electromagnetic telegraph is a device for human-to-human transmission The telegraphs used a long wire for the data line, stretching for many miles, using ground as the return wire and being fed with DC power from a battery; this made them (together with the power lines mentioned below) susceptible to being influenced by the fluctuations caused by the ring current. A ring current is an Electric current carried by charged particles trapped in a planet's Magnetosphere. The voltage/current induced by the geomagnetic storm could have led to diminishing of the signal, when subtracted from the battery polarity, or to overly strong and spurious signals when added to it; some operators in such cases even learned to disconnect the battery and rely on the induced current as their power source. In extreme cases the induced current was so high the coils at the receiving side burst in flames, or the operators received electric shocks. Geomagnetic storms affect also long-haul telephone lines, including undersea cables if they aren't fiber optic based. [3]

Navigation systems

Systems such as GPS, LORAN, and the now-defunct OMEGA are adversely affected when solar activity disrupts their signal propagation. Basic concept of GPS operation A GPS receiver calculates its position by carefully timing the signals sent by the constellation of GPS Satellites high above the Earth LORAN ( LO ng R ange A id to N avigation is a terrestrial Radio navigation system using Low frequency Radio transmitters OMEGA was the first truly global Radio navigation system for aircraft operated by the United States in cooperation with six partner nations The OMEGA system consisted of eight transmitters located throughout the world. Airplanes and ships used the very low frequency signals from these transmitters to determine their positions. During solar events and geomagnetic storms, the system gave navigators information that is inaccurate by as much as several miles. If navigators had been alerted that a proton event or geomagnetic storm is in progress, they could have switched to a backup system.

GPS signals are affected when solar activity causes sudden variations in the density of the ionosphere, causing the GPS signals to scintillate. The scintillation of satellite signals during ionospheric disturbances is studied at HAARP during ionospheric modification experiments. HAARP is often confused with Project HARP, the High Altitude Research Project (a joint project of The Pentagon and the Canadian Department of National Defence It has also been studied at the National Science Foundation equatorial ionospheric observation facility in Jicamarca, Peru. The National Science Foundation (NSF is a United States Government agency that supports fundamental Research and Education in all the non-medical

Satellites

Geomagnetic storms and increased solar ultraviolet emission heat Earth's upper atmosphere, causing it to expand. RAIM is the abbreviation for Receiver Autonomous Integrity Monitoring, a technology developed to assess the integrity of Global Positioning System (GPS signals in Ultraviolet ( UV) light is Electromagnetic radiation with a Wavelength shorter than that of Visible light, but longer than X-rays The heated air rises, and the density at the orbit of satellites up to about 1000 km increases significantly. This article is about artificial satellites For natural satellites also known as moons see Natural satellite. This results in increased drag on satellites in space, causing them to slow and change orbit slightly. In Fluid dynamics, drag (sometimes called fluid resistance) is the force that resists the movement of a Solid object through a Fluid (a In Physics, an orbit is the gravitationally curved path of one object around a point or another body for example the gravitational orbit of a planet around a star Unless Low Earth Orbit satellites are routinely boosted to higher orbits, they slowly fall, and eventually burn up in Earth's atmosphere. A Low Earth Orbit (LEO is generally defined as an Orbit within the locus extending from the Earth’s surface up to an altitude of 2000 km

Skylab is an example of a spacecraft reentering Earth's atmosphere prematurely in 1979 as a result of higher-than-expected solar activity. Skylab was the first Space station the United States launched into orbit and the second space station ever visited by a human crew Solar variations are changes in the amount of Solar radiation emitted by the Sun. During the great geomagnetic storm of March 1989, four of the Navy's navigational satellites had to be taken out of service for up to a week, the U.S. Space Command had to post new orbital elements for over 1000 objects affected, and the Solar Maximum Mission satellite was sent towards meeting the Skylab fate in December the same year. Air Force Space Command ( AFSPC) is a major command of the United States Air Force. The elements of an orbit are the parameters needed to specify that Orbit uniquely given a model of two point-masses obeying the Newtonian laws of motion and the The Solar Maximum Mission Satellite (or SolarMax was designed to investigate solar phenomenon particularly Solar flares.

The vulnerability of the satellites depends on their position as well. The South Atlantic Anomaly is a perilous place for a satellite to pass through. The South Atlantic Anomaly (or SAA is the region where Earth 's inner Van Allen radiation belt makes its closest approach to the planet's surface

As technology has allowed spacecraft components to become smaller, their miniaturized systems have become increasingly vulnerable to the more energetic solar particles. The solar wind is a Stream of charged particles&mdasha plasma &mdashthat are ejected from the upper atmosphere of the Sun. These particles can cause physical damage to microchips and can change software commands in satellite-borne computers. Radiation hardening is a method of designing and testing electronic components and systems to make them resistant to damage or malfunctions caused by high-energy Subatomic particles

Differential charging

Another problem for satellite operators is differential charging. During geomagnetic storms, the number and energy of electrons and ions increase. The electron is a fundamental Subatomic particle that was identified and assigned the negative charge in 1897 by J An ion is an Atom or Molecule which has lost or gained one or more Valence electrons giving it a positive or negative electrical charge When a satellite travels through this energized environment, the charged particles striking the spacecraft cause different portions of the spacecraft to be differentially charged. In Physics, a charged particle is a particle with an Electric charge. Electric charge is a fundamental conserved property of some Subatomic particles which determines their Electromagnetic interaction. Eventually, electrical discharges can arc across spacecraft components, harming and possibly disabling them. An electric arc is an Electrical breakdown of a gas which produces an ongoing plasma discharge, resulting from a current flowing through normally nonconductive

Bulk charging

Bulk charging (also called deep charging) occurs when energetic particles, primarily electrons, penetrate the outer covering of a satellite and deposit their charge in its internal parts. If sufficient charge accumulates in any one component, it may attempt to neutralize by discharging to other components. This discharge is potentially hazardous to the satellite's electronic systems.

Geologic exploration

Earth's magnetic field is used by geologists to determine subterranean rock structures. For the most part, these geodetic surveyors are searching for oil, gas, or mineral deposits. They can accomplish this only when Earth's field is quiet, so that true magnetic signatures can be detected. Other surveyors prefer to work during geomagnetic storms, when the variations to Earth's normal subsurface electric currents help them to see subsurface oil or mineral structures. For these reasons, many surveyors use geomagnetic alerts and predictions to schedule their mapping activities.

Electric power

When magnetic fields move about in the vicinity of a conductor such as a wire, a geomagnetically induced current is produced into the conductor. In Physics, a magnetic field is a Vector field that permeates space and which can exert a magnetic force on moving Electric charges Geomagnetically induced currents (GIC affecting the normal operation of long technological conductor systems are a manifestation at ground level of Space weather This happens on a grand scale during geomagnetic storms (the same mechanism also influences telephone and telegraph lines, see above). Power companies transmit alternating current to their customers via long transmission lines. The nearly direct currents induced in these lines from geomagnetic storms are harmful to electrical transmission equipment, especially to the transformers—it overheats their coils and causes saturation of their cores, constraining their performance; it also tends to trip various protective devices. A transformer is a device that transfers Electrical energy from one circuit to another through inductively coupled Electrical conductors Seen in some Magnetic materials saturation is the state reached when an increase in applied external Magnetizing field H cannot increase the On March 13, 1989, in Québec, 6 million people were without commercial electric power for 9 hours as a result of a huge geomagnetic storm. Events 1138 - Cardinal Gregorio Conti is elected Antipope as Victor IV, succeeding Anacletus II. Year 1989 ( MCMLXXXIX) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link displays 1989 Gregorian calendar) Quebec (kwɨˈbɛk Some areas in the northeastern U. S. and in Sweden also lost power. By receiving geomagnetic storm alerts and warnings, power companies can minimize damage and power outages.

Pipelines

Rapidly fluctuating geomagnetic fields can produce geomagnetically induced currents also into pipelines. Geomagnetically induced currents (GIC affecting the normal operation of long technological conductor systems are a manifestation at ground level of Space weather Pipeline transport is the transportation of goods through a pipe. During these times, several problems can arise for pipeline engineers. Flow meters in the pipeline can transmit erroneous flow information, and the corrosion rate of the pipeline is dramatically increased. Corrosion means the breaking down of essential properties in a material due to Chemical reactions with its surroundings If engineers unwittingly attempt to balance the current during a geomagnetic storm, corrosion rates may increase even more. Pipeline managers routinely receive alerts and warnings to help them provide an efficient and long-lived system.

Instruments

A wide range of ground based magneto spheric observations exist. Magnetometers monitor the auroral zone as well as the equatorial region. A magnetometer is a scientific instrument used to measure the strength and/or direction of the Magnetic field in the vicinity of the instrument Two types of radar - coherent scatter and incoherent scatter - are used to probe the auroral ionosphere. Radar is a system that uses electromagnetic waves to identify the range altitude direction or speed of both moving and fixed objects such as Aircraft, ships By bouncing signals off ionospheric irregularities (which convect with their field lines) one can trace their motion and infer magnetospheric convection.

Spacecraft instruments include:

A different application are simulations of the global magnetosphere and its responses, by solving the equations of magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) on a numerical grid. Magnetohydrodynamics (MHD ( magnetofluiddynamics or hydromagnetics) is the Academic discipline which studies the dynamics of electrically Appropriate extensions must be added to cover the inner magnetosphere, where magnetic drifts and ionospheric conduction also need to be taken into account. So far the results are interesting, but their interpretation is not easy, and certain assumptions are still needed to cover small-scale phenomena.

References

  1. ^ Scientists probe northern lights from all angles, CBC, October 22, 2005 (English)
  2. ^ Earth dodges magnetic storm, New Scientist, 24 June, 1989 (English)
  3. ^ Scientists probe northern lights from all angles, CBC, October 22, 2005 (English)
  4. ^ Bolduc, 2002
  5. ^ Earth dodges magnetic storm, New Scientist, 24 June, 1989 (English)
  6. ^ Geomagnetic Storms Can Threaten Electric Power Grid Earth in Space, Vol. New Scientist is a weekly International science magazine and website covering recent developments in science and technology for a general English -speaking New Scientist is a weekly International science magazine and website covering recent developments in science and technology for a general English -speaking 9, No. 7, March 1997, pp. 9-11 (American Geophysical Union)
  7. ^ Solar storms halt stock market as computers crash, New Scientist, 9 September, 1989 (English)
  8. ^ Snare, Robert C. New Scientist is a weekly International science magazine and website covering recent developments in science and technology for a general English -speaking . A History of Vector Magnetometry in Space. University of California. Retrieved on 2008-03-18. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Events 37 - The Roman Senate annuls Tiberius ' will and proclaims Caligula emperor

Further reading

See also

External links

Aurora Watch, at the University of Lancashire, gives email warnings of coronal mass ejections and geomagnetic storms for aurora watching enthusiasts:

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration ( NASA, ˈnæsə is an agency of the United States government, responsible for the nation's public space program Events 1527 - Spanish and German troops sack Rome; some consider this the end of the Renaissance. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common
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