US official: growing threat from solar storms

Associated Press ^

[jda]

GENEVA (AP) -- 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."

[mdmathis6]

I undestand that the sun has still remained unusually quiet at a time that we should be seeing increased sunspots.

[zeugma]

does 'stop, drop, and roll' work vs solar flares, or in hell ???

LOL. I suspect 'stop, drop, and roll' is as useful as anything else you can do.

[Smokin' Joe]

Interesting. The same precautions to prevent widespread damage by a Solar Storm will protect chosen installations and items against...EMP.

Is this how the upgrades will be sold to the public while people go on diddy-bopping down the road of life and the Caliphate assembles the tools of our demise?

I guess massive computer failure would pretty much erase the national debt (along with our bank accounts and stock portfolios).

I guess there's more than one way to skin an economy...

In the meantime, what is the gummint doing with all those freeze dried meals?

[Darnright]

There was an enormous and spectacular solar eruption this morning:

http://www.thesuntoday.org/current-observations/a-spectacular-event-a-filamentprominence-eruption-to-blow-your-socks-off/