Do sunspots have the potential to interfere with phone and GPS systems?
A few days ago, the American government released a warning saying that we could experience severe geomagnetic storms for the first time in about 20 years. This means there are at least five "coronal mass ejections" heading straight to Earth. These ejections are also paired with sunspots that cover an enormous area, even bigger than our planet itself.
The NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) predicts that the radiation from these events will start arriving on Friday and will continue throughout the weekend. These storms might have significant impacts on our living conditions.
The interruptions in the upper atmosphere's ionosphere might affect various services, including satellite and high-frequency radio communications. Here's what this means for users of technology:
Disruptions to Communications
When radiation from the sun hits our planet's magnetic field, it causes fluctuations in the ionosphere, a layer of the upper atmosphere. If you were planning some intergalactic shuttle jockeys for your next Saturday night, you should cancel your plans. The changes can alter the orbits of spacecraft or even break their electronics.
The ionosphere can also interfere with radio transmissions. By complicating the pathways between Earth and satellites, it could be hard to maintain communication even with those whizzing around us. Plus, it may prevent radio signals from reflecting off the ionosphere - a tactic some operators use to broaden their range.
This storm could impact numerous applications of technology. Spacecraft operators, GPS-using industries like planes, ocean-going vessels, and agriculture, could encounter problems. Even critical Ham and emergency management agencies might be affected if the storm's effects lead to signal scatter.
Your Cellphone - Safe and Sound?
Worry not, the geomagnetic disturbances might have minimal direct impact on your fancy smartphone. It's due to the different frequencies that cell networks rely on.
But there's a catch: these storms can trigger damage to the electrical infrastructure that holds wireless networks and devices together. If there's collateral damage to this infrastructure, even major space weather events could potentially affect first responders' radio and cellular services.
Preparing for a Storm
Despite NOAA's severe space weather watch, phone networks still seem safe. 2010 research from NOAA and the Federal Emergency Management Agency said these events would mostly cause "minimal direct impact" to public safety radio and commercial cellular services. The likelihood of consumer electronic devices getting damaged is even less likely.
A 2021 CISA (Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency) presentation highlights this. While some potential risks exist for copper wires and landlines, line-of-sight radio transmissions typically remain unscathed.
However, a detour happened in February when three major solar flares led to power outages. But, in reality, it was "highly unlikely" that these flares were directly responsible for the outages.
Severe space weather can endanger the power grid, according to the NOAA. They're expecting "widespread voltage control problems" and potential "trip-outs" for central parts of the grid.
A 1989 storm caused a nine-hour blackout in Quebec, Canada due to geomagnetic fluctuations damaging transformers. More recently, in October, a storm similar to the one this weekend led to power outages in Sweden and power transformer damage in South Africa. History's largest known geomagnetic storm, known as the Carrington Event in 1859, started telegraph stations on fire.
The consequence of an electrical grid shutdown? Scary times ahead, with communication disruptions, service outages, and disturbances to all radio and satellite operations. So, to get ready for a possible space weather event, you may want to prepare as if you were about to endure an extended power outage.
CNN’s Ashley Strickland contributed to this report.
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Businesses relying on GPS and satellite communications should prepare for potential disruptions due to the geomagnetic storm. The interruptions in the upper atmosphere's ionosphere could affect the orbits of spacecraft used by industries like aviation and shipping, as well as hamper radio transmissions and affect critical emergency management agencies.
Source: edition.cnn.com
