Earth Unprepared for Super Solar Storm

[MindMover]

Humanity needs to be much better prepared for massive solar storms, which can wreak havoc on our technology-dependent society, a prominent researcher warns.

Powerful blasts from the sun have triggered intense geomagnetic storms on Earth before, and they'll do so again. But at the moment our ability to predict these events and guard against their worst consequences — which can include interruptions of power grids and satellite navigation systems — is lacking, says Mike Hapgood of the British research and technology agency RAL Space.

"We need a much better understanding of the likelihood of space weather disruptions and their impacts, and we need to develop that knowledge quickly," Hapgood, head of RAL Space's space environment group, writes in a commentary in the April 19 issue of the journal Nature.

http://www.space.com/15324-solar-storm-earth-surprise-attack.html?

[pinto]

1. Interesting piece. I wonder what, beyond better prediction, can we do?

The article implies that necessary technologies that are at-risk need to open that discussion. Thanks for the post.

[Speck Tater]

2. In other words, modern civilization has a "RESET" button. nt

[leftyohiolib]

3. it also might be the kind of event to spark the huge evolutionary leaps that humankind

seems to have made over the course of it's existance

[longship]

4. Electricity grid is vulnerable

One thing we can do is beef it up so any surges caused by a coronal mass ejection can't bring down the grid.

If it happens in winter many people would die. No power for possibly months. No electricity means no heat, no water, and none of the stuff on which we now depend.