A magnificent display of auroras illuminated the skies over Russia, Ukraine, Germany, Slovenia, Britain, and various parts of Europe as the most powerful solar storm in over two decades struck Earth on Friday. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)'s Space Weather Prediction Center reported that the first of several coronal mass ejections (CMEs), characterised by expulsions of plasma and magnetic fields from the Sun, occurred just after 1600 GMT.
#SolarStorm #NorthernLights #Europe #SpaceWeather #SolarActivity #AuroraBorealis #SolarFlares #GeomagneticStorm #SpaceExploration #SolarPhysics #SunActivity #Astronomy #SolarEvents #SolarParticles #AuroraWatching
~HT.97~PR.152~ED.194~
NOAA Issues Rare , Warning Following Powerful , Solar Event.
CBS reports that a severe G4 geomagnetic storm
headed towards Earth has triggered a rare warning
from NOAA officials for the first time in two decades.
The warning comes following days of solar activity
that sent several waves of plasma in Earth's
direction along with powerful magnetic fields.
G4 storms are the second-strongest
type of geomagnetic storms and can
cause widespread voltage problems. .
NOAA warns that they can also cause some
protective assets to "trip out key assets from the grid,"
as well as cause orientation problems for spacecraft. .
If geomagnetic storms
were hurricanes, 'severe'
would be category 4. , Spaceweather.com, via CBS.
The powerful G4 storm could also cause
northern lights, or aurora borealis, to be seen
in northern California and as far south as Alabama.
In a May 9 press release, NOAA said that the solar
event began on May 8, when a group of sunspots
generated "several moderate to strong solar flares.".
According to NASA, solar flares are explosions of
radiation which are considered the strongest
explosive events in the solar system.
NOAA noted that the area, which
produced the recent flares, is roughly
16 times the diameter of the Earth.
The sunspots known as AR3664 measures about 124,000
miles across, and Space.com notes that it is one of the, "largest and most active
sunspots seen this solar cycle." .
According to NOAA, the geomagnetic storm
is expected to hit Earth as early as midday
on May 10 and continue through May 12
Credit: Wibbitz Top Stories Duration: 01:31Published
Coral Reefs Are Heading Toward , the Worst Global Mass Bleaching on Record.
According to U.S. government scientists, coral reefs are approaching a fourth global mass bleaching event caused by global heating.
According to U.S. government scientists, coral reefs are approaching a fourth global mass bleaching event caused by global heating.
The occurrence is expected "to be the most extensive on record," 'The Guardian' reports. .
According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) Coral Reef Watch.
about 54% of ocean waters that contain coral reefs have endured enough heat stress to cause bleaching.
The Great Barrier Reef, the largest coral reef
system on the plant, also experienced
"its most widespread heat stress event" ever
this year, 'The Guardian' reports. .
Currently, the record for the most widespread bleaching event took place between 2014 to 2017 with 56% of the ocean's coral reefs subjected to heat stress levels severe enough to cause bleaching.
Dr. Derek Manzello, the Coral Reef Watch director, said that the current bleaching
event is set to surpass that record soon...
... “because the percentage of reef areas experiencing bleaching-level heat stress has been increasing by roughly 1% per week.”.
The bottom line is that as coral
reefs experience more frequent
and severe bleaching events,
the time they have to recover
is becoming shorter and shorter. , Dr. Derek Manzello, the Coral Reef Watch director, via 'The Guardian'.
Current climate models suggest
that every reef on planet Earth will
experience severe, annual bleaching
sometime between 2040 and 2050, Dr. Derek Manzello, the Coral Reef Watch director, via 'The Guardian'.
Coral reefs "provide habitat to a quarter of
all marine species" but are regarded as one
of the most susceptible ecosystems to
global warming, 'The Guardian' reports. .
Coral reefs "provide habitat to a quarter of
all marine species" but are regarded as one
of the most susceptible ecosystems to
global warming, 'The Guardian' reports.
Credit: Wibbitz Top Stories Duration: 01:31Published