Geomagnetic conditions in the table. Solar and geomagnetic activity indices. The influence of magnetic storms on human health

Now: Kp= 6 storm

In fact, in some places the surge of the storm rose to 7-8 points

State of the magnetic field depending on the Kp index

Kp< 2 - спокойное;

Kp = 2, 3 - slightly disturbed;

Kp = 4 - disturbed;

Kp = 5, 6 - magnetic storm;

Kp = 7, 8 - strong magnetic storm;

Kp = 9 - a very strong geomagnetic storm.

The magnetic storm informer shows the average predicted values ​​of the global geomagnetic index (Cr-index) Earth, based on geophysical data from twelve observatories around the world.
Cr-index – characterizes the geomagnetic field on a global scale.
At different parts of the earth's surface, Cr-index differs within 1-2 units. The entire Cr-index range is from 1 to 9 units. On different continents, the index may differ by one or two units (+/-), with the entire range from zero to nine.
The informer predicts magnetic storms for 3 days, eight values ​​per day, for every 3 hours of the day.

Green color is a safe level of geomagnetic activity.
Red color – magnetic storm (Cr-index > 5).
The higher the red vertical line, the stronger the magnetic storm.

The level at which noticeable effects on the health of weather-sensitive people are likely (Cr-index > 6) is marked with a horizontal red line.

The following Cr-index coefficients are accepted:
The following magnetic field indices are relatively favorable for health: Cr = 0-1 – geomagnetic situation is calm; Cr = 1-2 – geomagnetic conditions from calm to slightly disturbed; Cr = 3-4 – from slightly disturbed to disturbed. The following magnetic field indices are unfavorable for health: Cr = 5-6 – magnetic storm; Cr = 7-8 – large magnetic storm; Cr = 9 – maximum possible value
Based on materials from www.meteofox.ru

INFLUENCE OF COSMOPHYSICAL FACTORS ON THE BIOSPHERE.

An analysis of facts confirming the influence of the Sun, as well as electromagnetic fields of natural and artificial origin on living organisms, was carried out. Assumptions have been made about the sources and mechanism of human reaction to magnetic storms, the nature of “bioeffective frequency windows”, sensitivity to electromagnetic fields of various genesis. The socio-historical aspect of the influence of space weather on people is discussed.

The full text of the article is located at this address

NATURE ALSO HAS SPACE WEATHER

Candidate of Physical and Mathematical Sciences A. PETRUKOVICH, Doctor of Physical and Mathematical Sciences L. ZELENY
Space Research Institute.

In the 20th century, earthly civilization imperceptibly crossed a very important milestone in its development. The technosphere - the area of ​​human activity - has expanded far beyond the boundaries of the natural habitat - the biosphere. This expansion is both spatial - due to the exploration of outer space, and qualitative in nature - due to the active use of new types of energy and electromagnetic waves. But still, for aliens looking at us from a distant star, the Earth remains just a grain of sand in the ocean of plasma filling solar system both the entire Universe and our stage of development can be compared more with the first steps of a child than with the achievement of maturity. The new world that has opened up to humanity is no less complex and, as is the case on Earth, is not always friendly. While mastering it, there were losses and mistakes, but we are gradually learning to recognize new dangers and overcome them. And there are many of these dangers. This includes background radiation in the upper atmosphere, loss of communication with satellites, aircraft and ground stations, and even catastrophic accidents on communication and power lines that occur during powerful magnetic storms.

The sun is our everything
The sun is truly the center of our world. For billions of years it holds the planets near itself and heats them. The Earth is acutely aware of changes in solar activity, which currently manifest themselves mainly in the form of 11-year cycles. During bursts of activity that become more frequent at the maxima of the cycle, intense flows of X-ray radiation and energetic charged particles - solar cosmic rays - are born in the solar corona, and huge masses of plasma and magnetic field (magnetic clouds) are ejected into interplanetary space. Although the magnetosphere and atmosphere of the Earth quite reliably protect all living things from the direct effects of solar particles and radiation, many human creations, for example, radio electronics, aviation and space technology, communication and power lines, pipelines, turn out to be very sensitive to electromagnetic and corpuscular influences coming from near-Earth space.
Let us now get acquainted with the most practically important manifestations of solar and geomagnetic activity, often called “space weather”.

Dangerous! Radiation!
Perhaps one of the most striking manifestations of the hostility of outer space towards man and his creations, besides, of course, an almost complete vacuum by earthly standards, is radiation - electrons, protons and heavier nuclei, accelerated to enormous speeds and capable of destroying organic and inorganic molecules. The harm that radiation causes to living beings is well known, but a sufficiently large dose of radiation (that is, the amount of energy absorbed by a substance and used for its physical and chemical destruction) can also damage radio-electronic systems. Electronics also suffer from “single failures,” when particularly high-energy particles, penetrating deep inside an electronic microcircuit, change the electrical state of its elements, knocking out memory cells and causing false positives. The more complex and modern the microcircuit, the smaller sizes each element and the greater the likelihood of failures, which can lead to its incorrect operation and even to the processor stopping. This situation is similar in its consequences to a computer suddenly freezing in the middle of typing, with the only difference being that the satellite equipment, generally speaking, is designed to operate automatically. To correct the error, you have to wait for the next communication session with the Earth, provided that the satellite is able to communicate.

The first traces of radiation of cosmic origin on Earth were discovered by the Austrian Victor Hess back in 1912. Later, in 1936, for this discovery he received Nobel Prize. The atmosphere effectively protects us from cosmic radiation: very few so-called galactic cosmic rays with energies above several gigaelectronvolts generated outside the Solar System reach the Earth's surface. Therefore, the study of energetic particles outside the Earth's atmosphere immediately became one of the main scientific tasks of the space age. The first experiment to measure their energy was carried out by a group of Soviet researcher Sergei Vernov in 1957. The reality exceeded all expectations - the instruments went off scale. A year later, the leader of a similar American experiment, James Van Allen, realized that this was not a malfunction of the device, but real, powerful flows of charged particles that were not related to galactic rays. The energy of these particles is not high enough for them to reach the surface of the Earth, but in space this “disadvantage” is more than compensated by their number. The main source of radiation in the vicinity of the Earth turned out to be high-energy charged particles “living” in the Earth’s inner magnetosphere, in the so-called radiation belts.

It is known that the almost dipole magnetic field of the Earth’s inner magnetosphere creates special zones of “magnetic bottles” in which charged particles can be “captured” for a long time, rotating around power lines. In this case, the particles are periodically reflected from the near-Earth ends of the field line (where the magnetic field increases) and slowly drift around the Earth in a circle. In the most powerful inner radiation belt, protons with energies up to hundreds of megaelectronvolts are well contained. The radiation doses that can be received during its flight are so high that only research satellites risk being kept in it for a long time. Manned spacecraft are hidden in lower orbits, and most communications satellites and navigation spacecraft are in orbits above this belt. The inner belt comes closest to the Earth at the points of reflection. Due to the presence of magnetic anomalies (deviations of the geomagnetic field from an ideal dipole) in those places where the field is weakened (above the so-called Brazilian anomaly), particles reach heights of 200-300 kilometers, and in those where it is strengthened (above the East Siberian anomaly ), - 600 kilometers. Above the equator, the belt is 1,500 kilometers from the Earth. The inner belt itself is quite stable, but during magnetic storms, when the geomagnetic field weakens, its conventional boundary descends even closer to the Earth. Therefore, the position of the belt and the degree of solar and geomagnetic activity are necessarily taken into account when planning flights of cosmonauts and astronauts working in orbits at an altitude of 300-400 kilometers.

Energetic electrons are most efficiently retained in the outer radiation belt. The “population” of this belt is very unstable and increases many times during magnetic storms due to the injection of plasma from the outer magnetosphere. Unfortunately, it is along the outer periphery of this belt that the geostationary orbit passes, which is indispensable for placing communication satellites: the satellite on it motionlessly “hangs” above one point on the globe (its altitude is about 42 thousand kilometers). Since the radiation dose created by electrons is not so large, the problem of electrifying satellites comes to the fore. The fact is that any object immersed in plasma must be in electrical equilibrium with it. Therefore, it absorbs a certain number of electrons, acquiring a negative charge and a corresponding “floating” potential, approximately equal to the temperature of the electrons, expressed in electron volts. Clouds of hot (up to hundreds of kiloelectron volts) electrons that appear during magnetic storms give satellites an additional and unevenly distributed, due to the difference in the electrical characteristics of surface elements, negative charge. Potential differences between adjacent satellite parts can reach tens of kilovolts, provoking spontaneous electrical discharges that damage electrical equipment. The most famous consequence of this phenomenon was the breakdown of the American TELSTAR satellite during one of the magnetic storms in 1997, which left a significant part of the United States without pager communications. Since geostationary satellites are usually designed to last 10-15 years and cost hundreds of millions of dollars, research into electrification of surfaces in outer space and methods to combat it are usually a trade secret.

Another important and most unstable source of cosmic radiation is solar cosmic rays. Protons and alpha particles, accelerated to tens and hundreds of megaelectronvolts, fill the Solar system only by a short time after a solar flare, but the intensity of the particles makes them a major source of radiation hazard in the outer magnetosphere, where the geomagnetic field is still too weak to protect satellites. Solar particles, against the background of other, more stable sources of radiation, are also “responsible” for short-term deterioration of the radiation situation in the inner magnetosphere, including at altitudes used for manned flights.

Energetic particles penetrate deepest into the magnetosphere in the subpolar regions, since particles here can most paths move freely along lines of force almost perpendicular to the surface of the Earth. Near-equatorial regions are more protected: there the geomagnetic field, almost parallel to the earth’s surface, changes the trajectory of particles to a spiral one and takes them to the side. Therefore, flight routes passing at high latitudes are much more dangerous from the point of view of radiation damage than those at low latitudes. This threat applies not only to spacecraft, but also to aviation. At altitudes of 9-11 kilometers, where most aviation routes pass, the overall background of cosmic radiation is already so high that the annual dose received by crews, equipment and frequent fliers must be controlled according to the rules established for radiation hazardous activities. Supersonic Concorde passenger planes that fly to even greater altitudes have radiation counters on board and are required to fly south of the shortest northern route between Europe and America if the current radiation level exceeds a safe value. However, after the most powerful solar flares, the dose received even during one flight on a conventional plane can be greater than the dose of one hundred fluorographic examinations, which makes it necessary to seriously consider the issue of completely stopping flights at such times. Fortunately, bursts of solar activity of this level are recorded less often than once per solar cycle - 11 years.

Excited ionosphere
On the lower floor of the electrical solar-terrestrial circuit is the ionosphere - the densest plasma shell of the Earth, literally like a sponge absorbing both solar radiation and the precipitation of energetic particles from the magnetosphere. After solar flares, the ionosphere, absorbing solar x-ray radiation, is heated and inflated, so that the density of plasma and neutral gas at an altitude of several hundred kilometers increases, creating significant additional aerodynamic resistance to the movement of satellites and manned spacecraft. Neglecting this effect can lead to “unexpected” braking of the satellite and loss of its flight altitude. Perhaps the most notorious case of such an error was the fall American station Skylab, which was "missed" after the largest solar flare that occurred in 1972. Fortunately, during the descent of the Mir station from orbit, the Sun was calm, which made the work of Russian ballisticians easier.

However, perhaps the most important effect for most inhabitants of the Earth is the influence of the ionosphere on the state of the radio broadcast. Plasma most effectively absorbs radio waves only near a certain resonant frequency, which depends on the density of charged particles and is equal to approximately 5-10 megahertz for the ionosphere. Radio waves of a lower frequency are reflected from the boundaries of the ionosphere, and waves of a higher frequency pass through it, and the degree of distortion of the radio signal depends on the proximity of the wave frequency to the resonant one. The quiet ionosphere has a stable layered structure, allowing, due to multiple reflections, to receive a short-wave radio signal (with a frequency below the resonant one) throughout the globe. Radio waves with frequencies above 10 megahertz travel freely through the ionosphere into outer space. Therefore, VHF and FM radio stations can only be heard in the vicinity of the transmitter, and at frequencies of hundreds and thousands of megahertz they communicate with spacecraft.

During solar flares and magnetic storms, the number of charged particles in the ionosphere increases, and so unevenly that plasma clots and “extra” layers are created. This results in unpredictable reflection, absorption, distortion and refraction of radio waves. In addition, the unstable magnetosphere and ionosphere themselves generate radio waves, filling a wide range of frequencies with noise. In practice, the magnitude of the natural radio background becomes comparable to the level of the artificial signal, creating significant difficulties in the operation of ground and space communication and navigation systems. Radio communication even between neighboring points may become impossible, but in return you can accidentally hear some African radio station, and see false targets on the locator screen (which are often mistaken for “flying saucers”). In the subpolar regions and auroral oval zones, the ionosphere is associated with the most dynamic regions of the magnetosphere and is therefore most sensitive to disturbances coming from the Sun. Magnetic storms in high latitudes can almost completely block radio broadcasts for several days. At the same time, naturally, many other areas of activity, such as air travel, are also frozen. That is why all services that actively use radio communications, back in the middle of the 20th century, became one of the first real consumers of space weather information.

Current jets in space and on Earth
Fans of books about polar travelers have heard not only about interruptions in radio communications, but also about the “crazy needle” effect: during magnetic storms, the sensitive compass needle begins to spin like mad, unsuccessfully trying to keep track of all changes in the direction of the geomagnetic field. Field variations are created by jets of ionospheric currents with a force of millions of amperes - electrojets, which arise in polar and auroral latitudes with changes in the magnetospheric current circuit. In turn, magnetic variations, according to the well-known law of electromagnetic induction, generate secondary electric currents in the conductive layers of the Earth's lithosphere, in salt water and in nearby artificial conductors. The induced potential difference is small and amounts to approximately a few volts per kilometer (the maximum value was recorded in 1940 in Norway and was about 50 V/km), but in long conductors with low resistance - communication and power lines, pipelines, rails railways- the total strength of induced currents can reach tens and hundreds of amperes.

Low-voltage overhead communication lines are least protected from such influence. Indeed, significant interference that occurred during magnetic storms was already noted on the very first telegraph lines built in Europe in the first half of the 19th century. Reports of these disturbances can probably be considered the first historical evidence of our dependence on space weather. The currently widespread fiber-optic communication lines are insensitive to such influence, but they will not appear in the Russian outback for a long time. Geomagnetic activity should also cause significant problems for railway automation, especially in the polar regions. And in oil pipelines, which often stretch for many thousands of kilometers, induced currents can significantly accelerate the process of metal corrosion.

In power lines operating on alternating current with a frequency of 50-60 Hz, induced currents varying with a frequency of less than 1 Hz practically make only a small constant addition to the main signal and should have little effect on the total power. However, after an accident that occurred during the severe magnetic storm of 1989 in the Canadian energy network and left half of Canada without electricity for several hours, this point of view had to be reconsidered. The cause of the accident turned out to be transformers. Careful research has shown that even a small addition of direct current can destroy a transformer designed to convert alternating current. The fact is that the constant current component introduces the transformer into a non-optimal operating mode with excessive magnetic saturation of the core. This leads to excessive energy absorption, overheating of the windings and ultimately to a breakdown of the entire system. The subsequent analysis of the performance of all power plants North America also revealed a statistical relationship between the number of failures in high-risk areas and the level of geomagnetic activity.

Space and man
All of the above-described manifestations of space weather can be conditionally characterized as technical, and physical basis their influences are generally known - they are the direct effects of charged particle flows and electromagnetic variations. However, it is impossible not to mention other aspects of solar-terrestrial connections, the physical essence of which is not entirely clear, namely the influence of solar variability on climate and the biosphere.

Changes in the total flux of solar radiation, even during strong flares, amount to less than one thousandth of the solar constant, that is, it would seem that they are too small to directly change the thermal balance of the Earth's atmosphere. Nevertheless, there is a number of indirect evidence given in the books of A.L. Chizhevsky and other researchers, indicating the reality of solar influence on climate and weather. For example, a pronounced cyclicity of various weather variations with periods close to 11- and 22-year periods of solar activity was noted. This periodicity is also reflected in living nature objects - it is noticeable in the change in the thickness of tree rings.

Currently, forecasts of the influence of geomagnetic activity on people’s health have become widespread (maybe even too widespread). The opinion about the dependence of people’s well-being on magnetic storms is already firmly established in public consciousness and is even confirmed by some statistical studies: for example, the number of people hospitalized by ambulance and the number of exacerbations of cardiovascular diseases clearly increases after a magnetic storm. However, from the point of view of academic science, not enough evidence has yet been collected. Besides, in human body there is no organ or cell type that claims to be a sufficiently sensitive receiver of geomagnetic variations. Infrasonic vibrations are often considered as an alternative mechanism for the impact of magnetic storms on a living organism - sound waves with frequencies less than one hertz, close to the natural frequency of many internal organs. Infrasound, possibly emitted by the active ionosphere, can have a resonant effect on the human cardiovascular system. It only remains to note that the issues of the relationship between space weather and the biosphere are still waiting for their attentive researcher and to date remain, probably, the most intriguing part of the science of solar-terrestrial connections.

In general, the influence of space weather on our lives can probably be considered significant, but not catastrophic. The Earth's magnetosphere and ionosphere protect us well from cosmic threats. In this sense, it would be interesting to analyze the history of solar activity, trying to understand what may await us in the future. First, there is currently a trend towards an increase in the influence of solar activity, associated with the weakening of our shield - the Earth's magnetic field - by more than 10 percent over the past half century and a simultaneous doubling of the solar magnetic flux, which serves as the main intermediary in the transmission of solar activity.

Secondly, an analysis of solar activity for the entire period of observations of sunspots (since the beginning of the 17th century) shows that the solar cycle, on average equal to 11 years, did not always exist. In the second half of the 17th century, during the so-called Maunder minimum, virtually no sunspots were observed for several decades, which indirectly indicates a minimum of geomagnetic activity. However, this period can hardly be called ideal for life: it coincided with the so-called Little Ice Age - years of abnormally cold weather in Europe. Whether this is a coincidence or not, modern science unknown for certain.

In more early history There were also periods of abnormally high solar activity. Thus, in some years of the first millennium AD, auroras were constantly observed in southern Europe, indicating frequent magnetic storms, and the Sun looked dim, possibly due to the presence of a huge sunspot or a coronal hole - another object that causes increased geomagnetic activity. If such a period of continuous solar activity began today, communications and transport, and with them the entire world economy, would be in a dire situation.

* * *
Space weather is gradually taking its rightful place in our consciousness. As with ordinary weather, we want to know what awaits us both in the distant future and in the coming days. To study the Sun, magnetosphere and ionosphere of the Earth, a network of solar observatories and geophysical stations has been deployed, and a whole flotilla of research satellites hovers in near-Earth space. Based on the observations they provide, scientists warn us about solar flares and magnetic storms.

Literature Kippenhan R. 100 Billion Suns: The Birth, Life and Death of Stars. - M., 1990. Kulikov K. A., Sidorenko N. S. Planet Earth. - M., 1972. Miroshnichenko L.I. The sun and cosmic rays. - M., 1970. Parker E. N. Solar wind // Astronomy of the invisible. - M., 1967.
Based on materials from the magazine "Science and Life"