An unusual amount of solar activity occurred this week, resulting in a severe geomagnetic storm watch being issued by the US government, marking the first time in nearly 20 years. The storm is expected to bring several earth-directed coronal mass ejections and sunspots covering a large area. The radiation from this activity is expected to hit Earth’s magnetic field on Friday and last through the weekend, potentially affecting the power grid, satellite, and high-frequency radio communications.
The solar activity involves the release of energy from the sun that reaches Earth, causing fluctuations in the ionosphere, the upper atmosphere layer. These changes can directly impact satellites, altering their orientation or damaging their electronics. Additionally, the changes to the ionosphere can affect radio transmissions, blocking or degrading signals reaching satellites and preventing radio transmissions from bouncing off the ionosphere. This could disrupt GPS satellites, affecting industries such as aviation, maritime, agriculture, and oil and gas, as well as shortwave radio transmissions used by various agencies and organizations.
While consumer wireless networks operate on different radio frequencies than high-frequency bands and are unlikely to be directly impacted by the storm, GPS signals may still be disrupted. The underlying electrical infrastructure supporting wireless networks is expected to remain unaffected, mitigating the impact on public safety and commercial cellular services. In past instances of extreme space weather events, researchers found minimal direct impact on consumer electronic devices, emphasizing the resilience of these systems to space weather disturbances.
Severe space weather events can jeopardize power grids, potentially leading to widespread voltage control problems and protective system failures, causing power outages. Historical examples show the impact of geomagnetic storms on power grids and communication technologies, with instances such as the 1989 blackout in Quebec and the 1859 Carrington Event causing significant disruptions. However, critical infrastructure providers, including wireless carriers, have measures in place to ensure redundancy and resiliency, such as backup power generators and mobile cellular towers, to mitigate the impact of power grid failures.
Despite the potential impact on power grids and communication technologies, the US government advises the public to prepare for a space weather event similarly to how they would prepare for an extended power outage. Communication and power providers are equipped to deploy backup systems in case of disruptions, ensuring continuous service availability. The resilience of critical infrastructure providers, coupled with preparedness measures, aims to minimize the impact of severe space weather events on daily life and technology usage.
