Has anyone, who usually can't, seen the northern lights these past few nights b/c of the solar storms?
Posted on 02/20/2011 3:24:50 PM PST by BenLurkin
The sun is waking up from a long quiet spell. Last week it sent out the strongest flare for four years – and scientists are warning that earth should prepare for an intense electromagnetic storm that, in the worst case, could be a “global Katrina” costing the world economy $2,000bn.
Senior officials responsible for policy on solar storms – also known as space weather – in the US, UK and Sweden urged more preparedness at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in Washington.
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“Predict and prepare should be the watchwords,” agreed Jane Lubchenco, head of the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. “So much more of our technology is vulnerable than it was 10 years ago.”
A solar storm starts with an eruption of super-hot gas travelling out from the sun at speeds of up to 5m miles an hour. Electrically charged particles hit earth’s atmosphere 20 to 30 hours later, causing electromagnetic havoc.
Last week’s solar storm may have been the biggest since 2007, but it was relatively small in historical terms.
It caused some radio communications problems and minor disruption of civil aviation as airlines routed flights away from the polar regions, said Dr Lubchenco.
A more extreme storm can shut down communications satellites for many hours – or even cause permanent damage to their components. On the ground, the intense magnetic fluctuations can induce surges in power lines, leading to grid failures such as the one that blacked out the whole of Quebec in 1989.
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ping
Globull Whining is now officially dead as a political issue and now they come up with a new one.
The other group has adjusted its predictions to reflect the fact that we've had a minimum of remarkably long duration.
The guys wanting the humdinger also want you to believe we have a runaway greenhouse effect underway.
Bush’s fault.
We can all live like the Amish for a while.
Yeah, this new cycle is going to be HUGE.
NOT. It is almost nothing and all indications point to a solar minimum, meaning few solar flares and global cooling.
‘...costing the world economy $2,000bn.’
Isn’t $2000bn the same as $2 trillion. Someone once told me you can’t lose something you never had.
Has anyone, who usually can't, seen the northern lights these past few nights b/c of the solar storms?
Also all it takes is one station to fail, that could cause a huge blackout like the one in 2003. Our entire electricity and technology grid is only as strong as its weakest point.
must be facing huge budget storms in the UK
What are they after now? A moratorium on offshore solar panels?
Just another OMG scenario where we simpleton lower societal level humans are helpless and we need government to protect us from the sun.
I’d think 20-30 hours warning would be sufficient to implement emergency “hardening” even if it meant shutting down the grid and temporarily cutting connections during the height of the storm.
Emergency generators could be secured for hospitals and other emergency services in that amount of time, and shelters could be set up for the populace. Happens all the time with ice storms and hurricanes.
I’d be willing to endure a day or two without power to avoid such a dire outcome as having large portions of the electrical grid destroyed. I do it once or twice a year due to normal weather events here in the southeast anyway. What’s once more?
I believe that it doesn’t matter if it is plugged in or not.
“We can all live like the Amish for a while.”
Are you kidding me? After about 30 days most of the people in this country would be dead. Except for our glorious leaders, who would hide out in underground bunkers paid for by you and me.
Scientists warn of $2,000bn solar ‘Katrina’
Obviously we need an IPSC at the U N funded by a global tax on all nations. The US will lead with 25% of the cost. $500bn will be allocated by the US from savings it will realise via Obamacare and the profits from GM and the national high speed railroad. /s
Powered down equipment is less likely to get fried due to lack of any transmission of the surge. Damage would be restricted.
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