Solar storms hitting the earth's atmosphere is nothing new. The earth seems fairly unaffected by these storms but a recent study claims that these solar storms tend to take away the electrons present in the atmosphere.
According to the United Press International, the research has revealed that in a never seen before phenomenon, electrons are getting removed from the atmosphere in some cases when the solar storms are hitting it. Generally, when solar storms hit the atmosphere, they discharge electrons in it. Recently, several satellites and geomagnetic measuring stations have recorded many data regarding which is being studied by the scientists to understand the phenomenon.
The main objective of the satellites and measuring stations are to find out how communications and telecommunications systems are affected by solar storms, though the researchers are confident that their continued analysis of electromagnetic data will help understand the phenomenon of missing electrons better. The researchers are confident that understanding the new phenomenon will help identify critical factors on which satellite-based navigation depends. It will also help in assessing the probability of the occurrence of solar storms and how they affect the atmosphere.
According to Phys.org, the phenomenon generally occurs when the magnetic field created by the eruption of the Sun comes in contact with the earth's magnetic field. The phenomenon mainly occurs at high latitudes. The researchers have made calculations based on a former incident of electrons getting vanished due to a solar storm over the arctic in 2014 in the earth's ionosphere.
As per the research, when the solar storms collide with the earth's magnetic fields, it gives rise to consequent unstable areas called "patches" in the atmosphere, the electron present in them speeding at 1000 meters per second. This causes turbulence in flight systems and electronic communications in the Polar region. This is why it is important to get knowledge about the characteristics and frequency of solar storms for the scientists.
Though much remains unknown about the solar storms taking away electrons in the atmosphere, the researchers are trying hard to decode the reason behind the surprising phenomenon. The results will hopefully lead to the development of communication and navigation systems ensuring safe flights and sailing over the polar region.
