Recently, the British Government declared another threat to the country along with terrorism, pandemics and flooding. Space weather, according to the National Risk of Civil Emergencies report, has the power to cause unprecedented damage to our technology, communications and electronic systems and should be treated as a risk at all times. The British Government is not alone, in its concern, with a report from the U.S. National Academy of Sciences presenting an equally alarming scenario in its report from 2008. But what exactly is space weather? Well, it includes all activity on the surface of the Sun such as solar flares, coronal mass ejections (CMEs) and solar wind that can ultimately affect the Earth's atmosphere. Currently the Sun is moving towards the peak of its 11-year weather cycle. Scientists have noted an increase in the amount of solar activity of late with an increasing number of solar flares and CMEs evident. According to experts, the Sun's weather cycle is due to hit it's peak next year (2013) leading to a careful monitoring of these solar flares and the potential damage to Earth.
While solar researchers and weather experts continue to study the dynamics of the Sun, the big question remains - if the Sun does hurl a large CME or experiences a massive solar flare over the next few months, what is the worst that we should expect? In 1859, a solar storm now referred to as the Carrington Event was the largest solar storm in recorded history. A massive CME from the Sun hurled towards the Earth and caused cataclysmic results. The telegraph system at the time felt the entire brunt of the geomagnetic storm and there were reports of overloading of telegraph wires, electrocutions and electrical havoc. This was repeated once again in 1989 when a CME hit the Earth and plunged Quebec into a nine-hour black out as the solar energy affected the electrical supply of the state's power grid. According to a NASA backed report, published in 2007 the costs to satellite operators alone from a Carrington-scale event could cross well over $30 billion.
The big fear about solar flares and CMEs in current times is the vulnerable position the Earth is in due to the depletion of the ozone layer. Scientists believe that gaps in the Earth's ozone layer can lead to a greater amount of damage than ever before. Since massive solar flares and CMEs release a huge amount of high-energy particles, the threat of radiation poisoning is ever present. These high-energy particles have the ability to penetrate into human cells and cause permanent damage leading to diseases such as skin cancer. Though the chances of this happening are slim, scientists continue to monitor solar proton events to reduce the chances of UV-B radiation on our delicate eco-system.
The biggest risk when it comes to solar flares however is not on our health, but rather its effect on our technology. As our lives become more dependent on gadgets and electronic equipment, we leave ourselves more vulnerable to the vagaries of space weather and its effect on the Earth. Experts fear a complete breakdown of the world's communication and electrical systems in the event of the next big flare or CME that no amount of monitoring can prevent or salvage.
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