A GEOMAGNETIC space storm sparked by a solar eruption like the one that flared toward the earth on Tuesday is bound to strike again and could wreak havoc across the gadget-happy modern world, experts say. Contemporary society is increasingly vulnerable to space weather because of our dependence on satellite systems for synchronising computers, navigational systems, telecommunications networks and other electronic devices.
A potent solar storm could disrupt these technologies, scorch satellites, crash stock markets and cause power outages that last weeks or months, experts said on Saturday at the American Association for the Advancement of Science’s annual meeting.
The situation will only get more dire because the solar cycle is heading into a period of more intense activity in the coming 11 years.
“This is not a matter of if, it is simply a matter of when and how big,” said National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration administrator Jane Lubchenco. “The last time we had a maximum in the solar cycle, about 10 years ago, the world was a very different place. Cellphones are now ubiquitous; they were certainly around (before) but we didn’t rely on them for so many different things,” she said. “Many things that we take for granted today are so much more prone to the process of space weather than was the case in the last solar maximum.” The experts admitted that currently, little that can be done to predict such a storm, much less shield the world’s electrical grid by doing anything other shutting off power to some of the vulnerable areas until the danger passes.
“Please don’t panic,” said Stephan Lechner, director of the European Commission Joint Research Centre, drawing laughter from the scientists and journalists in the audience. “Overreaction will make the situation worse.” The root of the world’s vulnerability in the modern age is global positioning systems, or GPS devices, that provide navigational help but also serve as time synchronisers for computer networks and electronic equipment, he said.