FrontPage Space Weather 

Cold War data reveals impact of nuclear tests on space weather

The Cold War may have been over for a quarter of a century, but its effects that reached far beyond just geopolitics are still being uncovered. NEWATLAS.COM One case in point is a NASA study that used recently declassified US government data to show how high-altitude nuclear tests altered the weather – not on Earth, but in space. According to the space agency, the explosions changed the planet’s magnetic field and even produced artificial aurorae near the equator. Mention the 1950s and it brings up images of huge American cars with fins,…

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Featured Space Weather 

New Year’s Geomagnetic Storm

NEW YEAR’S GEOMAGNETIC STORM: 2016 began with an explosion–not only of fireworks, but also auroras. On Jan. 1st, a G2-class geomagnetic storm sparked bright lights around the poles as revelers around the world were ringing in the New Year. In Glenfarg, Scotland, fireworks crackled against a backdrop of green: “Our neighbours let off some fireworks for the New Year,” says photographer Stuart Walker. “They were modest compared to the organized display in Edinburgh, but looked great alongside the ongoing aurora.” The storm was the result of a CME strike on…

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Featured Human Response 

Geomagnetic Storms may Influence Risk of Stroke

More strokes happen when geomagnetic storms are afoot, according to a new review of stroke literature – although it’s not clear what protective measures anyone could take, researchers said. Geomagnetic storms happen when the Earth’s magnetic field is disturbed by solar winds or coronal mass ejections, which throw out powerful magnetic fields from the sun. Among more than 11,000 people who had a stroke, the event was almost 20 percent more likely to happen on days with geomagnetic storms, researchers in New Zealand found. “The results were a big surprise…

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Featured Human Response 

Geomagnetic Storms and the Link to Suicide & Depression

Solar flare radiation plays havoc on human behavior, along with the power grids, communication systems, and navigation satellites. Researchers have found correlations between mood swings, depression and suicides when solar flare radiation is present. Michael Berk of the University of Melbourne has found a link between the suicide rate and increase in the geomagnetic storms, which are triggered by solar flares. He matched the number of suicides to the dates of the solar flare radiation activity and found that during the solar flare radiation events, more suicides occurred, according to…

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Human Response 

Russian Study on Geomagnetic Storms and Suicides

NEW SCIENTIST Many animals can sense the Earth’s magnetic field, so why not people, asks Oleg Shumilov of the Institute of North Industrial Ecology Problems in Russia. Shumilov looked at activity in the Earth’s geomagnetic field from 1948 to 1997 and found that it grouped into three seasonal peaks every year: one from March to May, another in July and the last in October. Surprisingly, he also found that the geomagnetism peaks matched up with peaks in the number of suicides in the northern Russian city of Kirovsk over the same period.…

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Featured Human Response 

Does the Earth’s Magnetic Field Influence Suicide Rates?

Many animals can sense the Earth’s magnetic field, so why not people, asks Oleg Shumilov of the Institute of North Industrial Ecology Problems in Russia. Shumilov looked at activity in the Earth’s geomagnetic field from 1948 to 1997 and found that it grouped into three seasonal peaks every year: one from March to May, another in July and the last in October. Surprisingly, he also found that the geomagnetism peaks matched up with peaks in the number of suicides in the northern Russian city of Kirovsk over the same period.…

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Featured Human Response 

Magnetic Storms Affect Humans As Well As Telecommunications

It has long been established that magnetic storms not only affect the performance of equipment, upset radio communications, blackout radars, and disrupt radio navigation systems but also endanger living organisms. They change the blood flow, especially in capillaries, affect blood pressure, and boost adrenalin. The young and fit couldn’t care less, but those who are older, may develop problems. They have to consider the state of magnetosphere in their daily plans. Before, people were glued to weather forecasts. Now they are obsessed with the geomagnetic situation. But what is a…

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