Solar Storms, the Next Crisis?

Probably not, but it gives the doomsayers something to worry about:

It certainly seems like the world has been under attack lately. Now that "Debtaggedon" is over, Reuters is reporting that there have been three large explosions from the Sun over the past few days, and that "sun storms" are set to hit the Earth. The U.S. government, which is pretty pressed for time as it is right now, is warning "users of satellite, telecommunications and electric equipment to prepare for possible disruptions over the next few days." Or, as National Geographic informs us: "Storms are brewing about 93 million miles (150 million kilometers) away, and if one of them reaches Earth, it could knock out communications, scramble GPS, and leave thousands without power for weeks to months."

Joseph Kunches, a space weather scientist from the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), said that the magnetic storm that is soon to develop probably will be in the "moderate to strong level." So how afraid should we be? According to Reuters, major disruptions from solar activity, rare though they may be, have had serious impacts in the past.

Reuters adds that according to a 2008 report by the National Research Council, a similar storm could cause up to $2 trillion in damage, globally. But before hysteria sets in, Kunches said that, "I don't think this week's solar storms will be anywhere near that."

The sun's been rather quiet for a number of years and seems to have been preoccupied with proving that Al Gore is an idiot. The reduced solar activity has resulted in cooler average temperatures on Earth, forcing the Goreacle to go on a rampage such as you saw in today's earlier post.

Solar storms can do some ugly stuff to electronics - it's sort of like supercharging the system and can cause overloads and all kinds of issues.  For example:

In 1989, a solar storm took down the power grid in Quebec, Canada, leaving about six million people without power for several hours...

The 1859 solar storm hit telegraph offices around the world and caused a giant aurora visible as far south as the Caribbean Islands. Some telegraph operators reported electric shocks. Papers caught fire. And many telegraph systems continued to send and receive signals even after operators disconnected batteries, NOAA said on its website.

So, all you telegraph operators better watch yourselves this week.