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Joined 1 year ago
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Cake day: July 16th, 2023

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  • While I agree with the fear mongering on solar storms, it is quite common for radio disruptions and GPS interference from solar storms. HF radios used by airlines and HAM radio operators work by bouncing light waves off the bottom of the ionosphere (~ 100km). When storms hit, it rapidly heats this region up, which causes expansion downward. This results in the radio waves either being absorbed or reflecting at lower altitudes causing communication difficulties. GPS satellites work by bouncing light between a transmitter (the satellite) and a receiver (your car for example). Solar storms produce showers of additional electrons that interfere with the light waves between the satellite and ground based instrumentation. These are fairly common occurrences during moderate geomagnetic activity that happens frequently during solar maximum and even solar minimum. Large storms are much less frequent (maybe a handful of times during each solar maximum) and that’s when you get continental aurora and total radio blackouts.


  • Ego is a huge human weakness. People struggle hard to admit they are wrong. This is especially true if they are committed to an idea that happens to be wrong. They would rather distort their own reality than admit they were wrong and try to grow from the experience. Once nice thing about being a scientist is we get lots of critical feedback from one another and we learn to admit when we are incorrect. However, even we are not immune. I know of one scientist who ruined their career committing to an idea that was wrong.


  • While I’m not specifically a climate scientist, I have degrees in atmospheric science, which include a PhD so I understand climate change better than most. The most frustrating part of informing people about this very real threat is how well the propaganda from the fossil fuel companies worked. We have known for 100 years about this and have solid evidence since the satellite era (1979-present). I can explain not only that climate change is real but also it is human caused and I can prove it mathematically on a white board in about 15 minutes to a laymen person (it isn’t hard). But despite the fact they believe in math (I ask them in the beginning just to be sure), they are skeptical of mathematical results. They know more than me, the scientist, because they watched a YouTube video this one time saying that it isn’t real. I’m honestly glad I don’t work in climate science because I can’t imagine how aggravating it can be.




  • The theoretical limit for a solar flare is very high. These are called super flares. However, they are exceptionally rare and tend to occur in younger, larger stars than our sun. That said, it isn’t impossible for one to occur, and if a massive flare were to occur, the flare wouldn’t be the worst part. Simply put, a solar flare is magnetic energy being launched from the surface of the sun in the form of photons or particles of light. While this would create radio blackouts, satellite drag, and phenomenal aurora, it wouldn’t have a significant impact on Earth’s surface (except for the satellite issues). The real danger is the coronal mass ejection that would follow. A coronal mass ejection is protons, neutrons, alpha particles, and electrons being launched at insane speeds off the Sun’s surface. Because these particles are charged, they can impact our electric grid. And in an extreme case could, in theory, destroy it through massive electrical ground level enhancements. These enhancements would primary occur at higher latitudes because the charged particles would follow Earth’s magnetic field lines toward the poles, but could easily disrupt electric grids northward/southward of 30 degrees. That would mean most of Europe, America, much of Asia, Australia, half of South America and Africa all without power. Obvious chaos would ensue. The good news is governments are aware of this risk and have begun taking preventive mechanisms to prevent such a catastrophic failure. The other piece of good news is this type of event is very rare. The likelihood of it happening in anyone’s given lifetime is extremely low.