On July 10, according to the journal Frontiers in Astronomy and Space Sciences, American astronomers have discovered that shock waves in the structure of solar wind can collide with the magnetosphere, generating strong currents on the Earth’s surface that could potentially damage electrical grids.
Danny Oliveira, a researcher at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, stated: “Typically, such incidents in electrical grid operations occur during strong geomagnetic storms, like the one that happened in March 1989 in Canada. We have shown that weaker but more frequent shock waves can pose a serious threat to ground-based electrical networks.”
Electrical grid. (Source: TASS).
The researchers reached this conclusion while studying how different manifestations of space weather affect the status of a gas pipeline in southern Finland, near the community of Manttä-Sälä.
An important part of this gas pipeline lies within the auroral zone, allowing it to be used as a scientific tool to monitor the currents generated on the Earth’s surface under the influence of space weather.
Based on these considerations, experts have studied the electrical characteristics of the gas pipeline from 1995 to 2023.
The researchers compared these measurements with various manifestations of space weather recorded by the Wind and ACE spacecraft in the northern polar region during particularly bright auroral outbreaks.
In total, the researchers investigated 300 incidents, analyzing their characteristics and indicating that in some cases, unusually strong currents arising in the gas pipeline are due to the collision of solar wind shock waves with the Earth’s magnetosphere.
The intensity of these currents is determined by the angle at which the shock waves collide with the planet’s magnetic shell, as well as the position of the magnetic north pole relative to the Sun and Manttä-Sälä.
Astronomers noted that at a certain combination of collision angle and the position of the magnetic north pole, the intensity of the induced current can exceed 20 amperes, posing a significant threat to electrical networks and sensitive equipment.
This conclusion emphasizes the importance of considering these factors when constructing infrastructure in both the Arctic and adjacent areas on Earth.
