\t\t\t\t\tSign up to see the future, today<\/p>\n
Can\u2019t-miss innovations from the bleeding edge of science and tech<\/p>\n
In November of last year, scientists warned of a \u201csevere\u201d solar storm<\/a>, the strongest in over two decades, colliding with the Earth.<\/p>\n Solar storms are the result of a surge in solar activity, with the Sun unleashing a barrage of charged particles that can trigger spectacular auroras \u2014 and wreak havoc with communications satellites and radio signals \u2014 when they reach the Earth\u2019s magnetosphere.<\/p>\n Beyond being ferocious enough to delay the launch of a Mars-bound NASA spacecraft<\/a>, the storm wreaked absolute havoc with GPS systems back on the ground for hours at a time. As detailed in a new paper<\/a> published in the journal Geophysical Research Letters, a team of scientists found that global navigation satellite systems experienced \u201csignificant positioning errors\u201d of over 33 feet during the superstorm, \u201clarge enough to disrupt precision agriculture and autonomous transportation industries\u201d across the continental United States.<\/p>\n That\u2019s enough risk to warrant a careful study on these types of events can impact human activity on Earth.<\/p>\n \u201cThe results underscore the importance of accurate understanding of various space weather phenomena to enhance our predictive capabilities through coordinated observations and physics\u2010based modeling and ultimately reducing disruptions to RF applications during space weather events,\u201d the paper reads.<\/p>\n The researchers analyzed observations from several scientific instruments spread out across the US to watch the chaos unfold last November. The Aurora Oval, a ring-shaped area of pronounced activity around the Earth\u2019s geomagnetic north pole where auroras conventionally occur, was pushed south toward the equator. This triggered a \u201chorizontally extended band of intense density gradients\u201d in the upper atmosphere, causing fluctuations in how long signals take to travel through it.<\/p>\n The result: \u201csignificant positioning errors at mid-latitudes,\u201d the researchers noted.<\/p>\n The researchers also found that as the auroras became brighter, the observed irregularities became more intense, deteriorating GPS accuracy accordingly.<\/p>\n Fortunately, while farming equipment like GPS-equipped tractors would\u2019ve likely been affected, the November storm occurred long after the farming season concluded.<\/p>\n However, that wasn\u2019t the case for the May 2024 superstorm, which scientists estimate cost farmers half a billion dollars<\/a> in damages.<\/p>\n \u201cHad the November superstorm occurred during the farming season in the American sector, it could have caused significant economic losses for the American farming industry, in addition to affecting the autonomous transportation industry,\u201d the paper reads.<\/p>\n