Abstract
Abstract Most solar storms produce only minor disquieting affects on Earth. Typically one might expect short-term electrical power blackouts, short lived communication outages, rerouting of aircraft, loss of a few satellites and a beautiful “aurora borealis ” in the nights sky from a large solar storm. But as the intensity of a solar storm increases like a wild beast, the storm can begin to develop the capacity to create a major disaster on Earth. The difference in solar storm intensity is like the difference between being hit with a tropical rainstorm and being devastated by a Category 5 hurricane. The solar storm of 1-2 September 1859, which began with a solar flare so strong that it was subsequently named the Carrington Flare, was such a beast. Oak Ridge National Laboratories estimated that only a solar storm just slightly stronger than the 13 March 1989 storm (Dst = 589 nT) would have the capacity to produce a cascading blackout involving the entire Northeastern sector of the United States. So the question is “What damage would a spawned geomagnetic storm like the one of 2 September 1859 (Dst = 1,760 nT) bring?” Would it simultaneously degrade and damage several unique large electrical transformers at key electrical generating stations taking down the massive power grid? Would the long lead-time required to manufacture and install replacement equipment result in major year long electrical blackouts, rolling blackouts and brownouts? How would a long-term lack of stable electricity affect advanced civilization? This paper dissects and analyzes the various threats created by Great solar storms.
Users
Please
log in to take part in the discussion (add own reviews or comments).