Solar Storms Could Have 'Potentially Devastating Effects': NOAA Official

GENEVA -- A senior official at the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says solar storms pose a growing threat to criticial infrastructure such as satellite communications, navigation systems and electrical transmission equipment.

NOAA Assistant Secretary Kathryn Sullivan says the intensity of solar storms is expected to peak in 2013 and countries should prepare for "potentially devastating effects."

Solar storms release particles that can temporarily disable or permanently destroy fragile computer circuits.

Sullivan, a former NASA astronaut who in 1984 became the first woman to walk in space, told a U.N. weather conference in Geneva on Tuesday that "it is not a question of if, but really a matter of when a major solar event could hit our planet."

Comments

[jgarma]

11:31 AM on 06/14/2011

Yes, the New York Times published an article about solar storms and stated how relieved NASA is that the one expected today will be just a "glancing blow" to the U.S.

Ottawa survived a big solar storm some time ago because their predominate use of hydro to create electricity offers some protection against solar storms. In the US, grid issues and the sources of electrical generation conspire to make it much more vulnerable.

A solar storm is inevitable. The damage is unknowable right now, but we can do some basic things to prepare as individuals and families.

Read "Solar Storms Are Coming": http://wp.me/pA04z-KM

[SteveDenver]

12:42 AM on 05/22/2011

What is the term for "double maybe?"
"Could Have 'Potentially…"

Solar storms could possibly maybe be responsible for the Rapture!

[majmac9659]

10:11 PM on 05/20/2011

You are sadly mistaken, dude. Fox News is probably more objective then the lamestream media will ever be - after all, Fox has no ties to George Soros, obama's Puppet Master.

[invient]

05:36 PM on 05/21/2011

Outfoxed anyone?

[majmac9659]

07:50 PM on 05/22/2011

All of you Fox-Haters - How many of you have actually watched Fox News for any amount of time prior to commenting here. Come on now - show of hands. Surely all of you self-proclaimed "open-minded progressives" actually bothered to watch Fox and OBJECTIVELY research all of the major news networks for political bias (left or right)before hitting the keyboard??
Hmm - don't see any hands raised. How can that be, with all of you "intellectually curious progressives" out there? More like intellectually challenged, based on the proof.

That is the Beauty of America - ignorance does not stop people from commenting on something they have no knowledge of. The ugliness is that said ignorant people (read "open-minded, compassionate progressives") still vote.

[LMPE]

08:16 PM on 05/21/2011

No, just to Rupert Murdoch and Saudi prince Talal.

[tyger]

06:05 PM on 05/19/2011

Mama nature seems to be telling us humans, your time is up. We are always concerned for the earth, this planet has survived many species and will survive us!

[FTracy3]

03:53 PM on 05/19/2011

How will I know for sure when this hits? My AT&T Blackberry has been acting like it's in a solar flare since I got it.

[Patrick Dougherty]

04:03 PM on 05/22/2011

When the nation loses electricity for a few weeks to a year, then you might begin to suspect that our grid might have been hit by a big enough solar flare that we weren't quite prepared for.

[dkeogh]

12:29 AM on 05/23/2011

add to this cell phone networks and as they stated in the article "sensitive computer networks" for starters. No its not going to kill us or cause "rapture" but a solar storm can cause serious damage to our communications and satellite networks.

[kamikazewarthog]

02:46 PM on 05/19/2011

Holy Crap!

[diogeron]

11:55 AM on 05/19/2011

Fox doesn't believe in science, so they wouldn't cover the story. Evolution? No. The Rapture? Yes. Now, THAT'S news!

[Conservative666]

06:07 PM on 05/20/2011

If you watch all of Fox News, it has been often mentioned with stories on global warming.

[IMOPINIONH8D]

09:22 PM on 05/21/2011

So they could blame the solar flares and storms for global warming. The sun got shinier and melted the polar caps and glaciers. The only time faux news mentions science is to bash it.

[LMPE]

01:17 AM on 05/19/2011

By chance, could one of those solar flares hit Fox Noise and get rid of it?

[Impaler]

06:39 AM on 05/19/2011

Put down and step away from the kool-aid mam!

[LMPE]

05:12 PM on 05/19/2011

I'm not a woman, and I think that most people would agree with me about Fox.

[Conservative666]

06:08 PM on 05/20/2011

But then you wouldn't have the Simpsons and Family Guy.

[LMPE]

08:16 PM on 05/21/2011

That's not the same thing as Fox News.

[braziliancongo]

12:22 AM on 05/19/2011

I don't believe a word of this article. A solar stor

[jimyog]

11:45 PM on 05/18/2011

Spaceweather.com.........Good info from NASA.................Daily Sunspot # & Predictions

[Genders]

10:44 PM on 05/18/2011

It's very unlikely to damage your computer is you have surge protectors on it. It may know out power, and increase radiation exposure for high altitude fliers.

[Savage Saint Roger]

10:24 PM on 05/18/2011

Yep! I'm putting in solar panels this very summer! If one were to hit us just right it would be months and months before recovery is completed.
So far the power companies are still dragging their feet about shielding and burying the lines. They'll wait until it's over, not before. And then they will say, "Gee, another hundred or so years unitl it happens again? No hurry for it now!" That's how we are raised here in the USA, we don't fix things untiil they are broken.
They're probably waiting for the various governments to give them the money because you know, our monthly charges are far too low and inadequate to do much more than take care of stockholders.

[Jim bob]

12:27 AM on 05/19/2011

Broken twice and in disrepair for a couple of years, you mean.

[Matt Hillier]

08:53 PM on 05/18/2011

This is news? Because NASA has been predicting this for about a year... They also made some 2012=hoax video to placate all of us, even the skeptics.

[StephenJK]

02:09 AM on 05/20/2011

Yeah, that video is for children 12 years old and younger.

[The Perceiver]

08:45 PM on 05/18/2011

Are there any ways or materials that can shield electronics from the solar storm particles?

[The last sane American]

07:48 AM on 05/19/2011

Get a pyramid.

Or you could try the old faithful. BOAKYAG

[lonewolfwisconsin]

06:44 PM on 05/18/2011

After much research and contemplation, I believe that there may be two events to look forward to:
1.) A Massive, Disruptive Solar Storm or Flare that renders electrical grids out/off-line temporarily.
To prepare/protect for/from this event one needs to be underground for 2-4 days, depending on events.
2.) World-Wide Earthquakes, Volcanos, and resulting Sunamis from the Gravitational Pull, then Shift, of Earth's Crust, due to Known/confirmed Planetary Alignment to occur 12/21/2012
To prepare for this event one must bend over and kiss their butts goodbye

[pita143]

08:47 PM on 05/18/2011

do a search for a short story written by David Souers on line called Galactic Tsunami. You can not buy it any place but you can download it and print it. You will really like the story.

There is evidence of the shifting of the Earth Crust and many believe that is why there is a difference between the real North Pole and the Magnetic North Pole because the Earth shifted.

http://galactictsunami.tripod.com/chapbychap.html