Something to Worry About Today

Uh-oh.

 It’s already started: the first in what promises to be a year of huge solar storms.

Described as an enormous ball of gas travelling at 2000 kilometres per second, a “coronal mass ejection” struck the Earth on Thursday, causing fears of navigational disruption, satellite damage and even power grid failure.

True to its 11-year cycle of stormy activity, the Sun is belching out masses of charged radioactive particles, some of which hit us. With an unusually weak magnetic field wrapped protectively around our planet, our local star’s tetchy behaviour could wreak havoc with our technology and our way of life.

This combination of a weak magnetic shield and solar hyperactivity doesn’t happen very often. When it did, in 1859, telegraph lines burst spontaneously into flame all over North America, and the sky was so bright with an extended aurora borealis that workers got up in the middle of the night, thinking it was morning.

Telegraph was the only sort of electronic technology at the time. But now we have a civilisation almost entirely dependent upon digital technology.

Uh-oh.

Something to Worry About Today

Wouldn’t you just know it? Here we are, cringing at the thought of the horrors that unchecked global warming might have in store for us, and the scientists come up with yet another Doom scenario to keep us awake.

Bill McGuire*, of the Aon Benfield Institute at UCL, has revealed that the melting of ice caps can do more than just flood us and possibly release methane clathrate gas to superheat the atmosphere.

It can cause earthquakes, tsunamis and volcanic eruptions.

The ice layers at the cold ends of the Earth are kilometres in thickness. But even that depth isn’t secure.  Recent studies show that thousands of metres have already been lost, bringing harmful gases that much nearer the surface.  Worse still, these ice deposits have been holding in check large areas of rock, including entire mountain ranges. When they break free of the ice, they create earthquakes and expose the superficial parts of the magma that explodes in volcanoes.

Next time you leave the lights burning too long or plan buying a large engine car, consider how the ground may be shifting under your feet.

*In our book, The Coffee Table Book of Doom, we erroneously referred to Bill McGuire as Ben. That must be because of the proximity of his name to Benfield. For that blunder, we most humbly apologise.

Something to Worry About Today

Just 3 weeks into 2012 and destructive solar flares have started.

NASA scientists have confirmed that the strongest solar storm since 2005 began on the 22^nd. This will disrupt satellites and any astronauts who happen to be in orbit will get a radiation dosage that you wouldn’t wish on your worst enemy. Aircraft flying near the poles will also be affected.

But the bad news is that the Earth’s magnetic field continues to weaken, removing the protective blanket that keeps most bad solar radiation off us. Scientists predict that the flares will continue to strengthen throughout this year and peak in 2013 (if any). There is a possibility that all digital equipment could be damaged or rendered ineffective. Yes, air traffic control, television transmissions, the Internet—even your smart phone.

Look out your window.  Those pretty green streaks in the sky are the Northern Lights. What are they doing way down here?