WEIGHING UP THE RISKS
America’s National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration ranks geomagnetic storms on a scale running from G1, causing an increase in auroral activity and minor fluctuations in power supplies, up to G5, which includes extreme cases like the Carrington event. In the middle of the scale, G3 storm warnings are relatively common; there was one at the end of March 2022. Even a G2 event is capable of causing havoc, like when Spacex lost 40 satellites in February 2022 when a G2 storm prevented them reaching their intended altitude. While solar storms rarely pose a direct threat to human life, there’s a risk they can impact safety-critical systems via electromagnetic effects – from space-based communications, navigation and weather forecasting services to electrical power distribution at ground level.