As if we didnt have enough weather to worry about here on Earth, scientists have confirmed what has long been anecdotally acknowledged — that solar flares play havoc with GPS signals. And with the FAA moving steadily toward satellite-based technologies for the future of airspace management, the warnings from last weeks Space Weather Enterprise Forum take on increasing poignancy. Society cannot become overly reliant on technology without an awareness and understanding of the effects of future space weather disruptions,” Anthea Coster, Ph.D., MIT Haystack Observatory, told attendees at the conference, which was held in Washington, D.C. There is some good news, however. It appears WAAS signals, the cornerstone of most of the new navigation protocols, are somewhat less vulnerable to disruption. The scientists got a good look at the potential for disruption courtesy of massive, and unexpected, solar flares that occurred on Dec. 6, 2006. When a solar flare erupts, it throws out tremendous radio wave energy over a wide range of frequencies, and the December occurrence was enough to swamp GPS receivers over the entire sunlit side of Earth, noted Dale Gary, Ph.D., chair and professor of the physics department at New Jersey Institute of Technology. The December flare was an anomaly because sunspot activity is on an 11-year cycle and were at the lowest ebb of it now. Scientists predict the next peak in solar activity, in about six years, to be one of the strongest ever.
Space Weather Threatens GPS
Key Takeaways:
- Scientists have confirmed that solar flares disrupt GPS signals, raising concerns as the FAA moves towards satellite-based airspace management.
- Experts warn against becoming overly reliant on technology without understanding space weather disruptions, although WAAS signals appear less vulnerable.
- A massive 2006 solar flare demonstrated widespread GPS signal disruption, and the next peak in solar activity, expected in about six years, is predicted to be one of the strongest ever.
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