A recent report from NASA outlined the threat solar storms pose to Earth-based electrical and communications systems, and warned that the social and economic disruptions could be catastrophic.
Back in 2008, the Committee on the Societal and Economic Impacts of Severe Space Weather Events released a report warning that severe solar storms -- of the kinds witnessed in 1859 and 1921 -- could fry electrical grids on a continent-wide scale. The Big Think blog points out that the repercussions could be huge, and that the technology already exists to protect ourselves:
"The report said something that used to be unthinkable: our own sun could have a temper tantrum that would unleash a tsunami of radiation from outer space, potentially wiping out our space satellites, wiping out power lines, and leaving entire continents without power.
[I]n 1859 there was a solar storm which paralyzed our telegraph wires and was the largest geomagnetic storm in recorded history...if that solar storm of 1859 were to hit us today it would cause (according to the report) trillions of dollars in property damage and hundreds of billions of dollars in damage for each of the countries that were affected. Transformers could get wiped out, meaning that whole continents would not have electrical power. [P]ower stations and especially transformers should be insulated and reinforced so as to be able to withstand radiation coming from outer space. This is not rocket science; we know how to do it and the technology is already there-it's just a question of political will."
FULL STORY: A Possible Solar Storm in 2012?
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