Powerful geomagnetic storms disrupt global satellite communications, increase radiation exposure for astronauts and pilots, and can trigger significant power grid failures. This was stated by American experts following a study by NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center and Lancaster University’s School of Physics and Astronomy, published in the journal Nature.
To this day, debates continue among scientists and medical professionals regarding the actual impact of magnetic storms on humans. A portion of the scientific community completely denies such an effect, asserting that any deterioration in people’s well-being is solely caused by the power of suggestion.
The new research has shown the fallacy of the previously held belief that the strength of solar wind diminishes upon reaching a specific point in the Earth’s upper atmosphere. The latest data indicate the opposite: the planet’s response to space weather intensifies with greater severity rather than weakening.
Experts note that under extreme magnetic influences, satellites may drift out of orbit, while GPS signals and communications could become weak, irregular, and intermittent. Furthermore, these factors exert a certain negative impact on the condition of astronauts and aviation pilots.
The authors of the study urge that when modeling such scenarios, the absence of an upper limit to Earth’s response to solar wind should be taken into account.
About the Author
