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(2009/07/29 10:34) Reporter Wang Zongming / Taipei Report
Scientists have discovered that Earth's protective magnetic bubble, the magnetosphere, is thinning. In December 2008, NASA announced the discovery of a massive hole in the magnetosphere, four times wider than Earth and still expanding. This allows harmful particles from outer space to impact Earth's natural environment and human society more directly. Similar events have occurred several times in the past, and scientists have accurately predicted the next solar storm, which is expected to arrive on September 22, 2012.
Professor Lin Zhongbin from Tamkang University pointed out that the solar storm during Halloween in late October and early November 2003 was the strongest in 30 years, causing massive blackouts in Northern Europe and forcing many flight routes to divert, with each flight losing between $10,000 and $100,000. The U.S. also lost the $640 million ADEOS-2 spacecraft. The upcoming 2012 solar storm is expected to be even more intense, with Earth's magnetosphere weaker than ever. Global telecommunications will be disrupted, flights that do not reroute may crash, power supplies will fail, and other electromagnetic-related operations could malfunction.
The prediction of the 2012 solar storm is based on a paper published by the U.S. National Academy of Sciences in January 2009. The paper forecasts a 90-second solar storm at midnight on September 22, 2012, which could trigger global disasters. "Flickering colored lights will appear over Manhattan, a rare and brief aurora-like phenomenon typically seen only in Antarctica. Within seconds, light bulbs in homes will dim and flicker before becoming unusually bright, then completely extinguishing. Within 90 seconds, half of the eastern U.S. will face a blackout crisis."
The article also mentions that a year later, millions of Americans will die one after another, the nation's infrastructure will be on the verge of collapse, and the U.S. will become a developing country. Similar disasters will occur in Nordic countries like Sweden, Norway, Denmark, and Iceland, as well as in China and Japan.
Daniel Baker, an expert from the University of Colorado who led the study, explained that the Sun releases vast amounts of high-energy plasma particles, which escape the Sun's surface as solar wind. Sometimes, solar winds carry billions of tons of plasma balls. If large amounts of plasma enter Earth's magnetic field, it could cause catastrophic damage.
Plasma entering Earth's atmosphere will rapidly alter the structure of the magnetic field, inducing electrical currents in long power lines on the ground. This will cause copper wires in transformers to overheat and melt, leading to uncontrolled currents. For example, in March 1989, a similar blackout occurred in Quebec, Canada, leaving 6 million residents without power for nine hours. It is estimated that the 90-second solar storm in 2012 will induce ground currents in the U.S., destroying 300 critical transformers within 90 seconds and cutting off power for at least 130 million residents. This will trigger a cascade of problems, including water shortages, halted rail transport, rapid depletion of daily necessities, fuel shortages at gas stations, and the inability to provide hospital care and emergency medical services. The estimated losses could reach $2 trillion, with recovery taking 4 to 10 years.Is this really the end of the world in 2012? Scientists' language only tells us that what can currently be predicted is that 2012 will be the next peak period for solar flares, and there may also be impacts on power systems and artificial satellites. Let's mentally prepare ourselves for it first!
Source: http://www. nownews. com/ 2009/ 07/ 29/ 545- 2484110. htm
2012 Solar Storm: US Faces 90-Second Disaster Impact First
Scientists have discovered that Earth's protective magnetic bubble, the magnetosphere, is thinning. In December 2008, NASA announced the discovery of a massive hole in the magnetosphere, four times wider than Earth and still expanding. This allows harmful particles from outer space to impact Earth's natural environment and human society more directly. Similar events have occurred several times in the past, and scientists have accurately predicted the next solar storm, which is expected to arrive on September 22, 2012.
Professor Lin Zhongbin from Tamkang University pointed out that the solar storm during Halloween in late October and early November 2003 was the strongest in 30 years, causing massive blackouts in Northern Europe and forcing many flight routes to divert, with each flight losing between $10,000 and $100,000. The U.S. also lost the $640 million ADEOS-2 spacecraft. The upcoming 2012 solar storm is expected to be even more intense, with Earth's magnetosphere weaker than ever. Global telecommunications will be disrupted, flights that do not reroute may crash, power supplies will fail, and other electromagnetic-related operations could malfunction.
The prediction of the 2012 solar storm is based on a paper published by the U.S. National Academy of Sciences in January 2009. The paper forecasts a 90-second solar storm at midnight on September 22, 2012, which could trigger global disasters. "Flickering colored lights will appear over Manhattan, a rare and brief aurora-like phenomenon typically seen only in Antarctica. Within seconds, light bulbs in homes will dim and flicker before becoming unusually bright, then completely extinguishing. Within 90 seconds, half of the eastern U.S. will face a blackout crisis."
The article also mentions that a year later, millions of Americans will die one after another, the nation's infrastructure will be on the verge of collapse, and the U.S. will become a developing country. Similar disasters will occur in Nordic countries like Sweden, Norway, Denmark, and Iceland, as well as in China and Japan.
Daniel Baker, an expert from the University of Colorado who led the study, explained that the Sun releases vast amounts of high-energy plasma particles, which escape the Sun's surface as solar wind. Sometimes, solar winds carry billions of tons of plasma balls. If large amounts of plasma enter Earth's magnetic field, it could cause catastrophic damage.
Plasma entering Earth's atmosphere will rapidly alter the structure of the magnetic field, inducing electrical currents in long power lines on the ground. This will cause copper wires in transformers to overheat and melt, leading to uncontrolled currents. For example, in March 1989, a similar blackout occurred in Quebec, Canada, leaving 6 million residents without power for nine hours. It is estimated that the 90-second solar storm in 2012 will induce ground currents in the U.S., destroying 300 critical transformers within 90 seconds and cutting off power for at least 130 million residents. This will trigger a cascade of problems, including water shortages, halted rail transport, rapid depletion of daily necessities, fuel shortages at gas stations, and the inability to provide hospital care and emergency medical services. The estimated losses could reach $2 trillion, with recovery taking 4 to 10 years.Is this really the end of the world in 2012? Scientists' language only tells us that what can currently be predicted is that 2012 will be the next peak period for solar flares, and there may also be impacts on power systems and artificial satellites. Let's mentally prepare ourselves for it first!
Source: http://www. nownews. com/ 2009/ 07/ 29/ 545- 2484110. htm