By analyzing ancient tree rings found in the French Alps, an international team of scientists discovered a massive increase in radioactive carbon levels 14,300 years ago. The radiocarbon burst was caused by a powerful solar storm, the largest ever detected. A solar storm like today could be a disaster for today’s technological society; could potentially destroy telecommunications and satellite systems, cause major power outages and cost us billions of pounds.
Scientists warn of the importance of understanding such storms to protect our global communications and energy infrastructure in the future. A joint study carried out by an international group of scientists, Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A: Mathematical Physics and Engineering Sciences and reveals a new understanding of the Sun’s extreme behavior and the risks it poses to Earth.
A team of researchers from the Collège de France, CEREGE, IMBE, Aix-Marseille University and the University of Leeds measured radioactive carbon levels in ancient trees preserved on the faded banks of the Druse River near the Gap in southern France. Alps.
Tree trunks, which are subfossils and whose fossilization process has not yet been completed, were cut into small single rings. Analysis of these individual rings revealed an unprecedented increase in radiocarbon levels that occurred exactly 14,300 years ago. By comparing this radiocarbon burst with measurements of beryllium, a chemical element found in Greenland ice cores, the team suggests that the burst was caused by a powerful solar storm that could launch vast amounts of energetic particles into Earth’s atmosphere.
Edouard Bard, professor of climate and ocean evolution at the Collège de France and CEREGE and lead author of the study, said: “Radiocarbon is constantly produced in the upper atmosphere through a chain of reactions initiated by cosmic rays. Scientists have recently discovered that solar flares and coronal mass ejections include “They discovered that extreme solar events, including solar radiation, can also create short-lived bursts of energetic particles that persist as massive bursts of radiocarbon production occurring in as little as a year.”
Researchers say massive solar storms like this could be catastrophic for today’s technological society, potentially knocking out telecommunications, satellite systems and power grids and costing us billions of pounds. They warn that it is critical to understand the future risks of such events so that we can be prepared, build resilience in our communications and energy systems and protect them from potential harm.
Tim Heaton, professor of applied statistics at the School of Mathematics at the University of Leeds, said: “Extraordinary solar storms can have major impacts on the Earth. Such superstorms can permanently damage transformers in our power grids, causing large and widespread power outages. They can also cause major and widespread power outages to the satellites we use for navigation and telecommunications.” “They could cause permanent damage, rendering them unusable. They would also pose serious radiation risks to astronauts.”
Nine such extreme solar storms, known as Miyake events, have been found to have occurred in the last 15,000 years. The last confirmed Miyake events occurred in 993 AD and 774 AD. But this newly identified 14,300-year-old storm is the largest yet found; It’s about twice the size of these two.
The exact nature of these Miyake events is still poorly understood because they have never been directly observed instrumentally. They emphasize that we still have much to learn about the behavior of the Sun and the dangers it poses to society on Earth. We don’t know what causes these extreme solar storms, how often they may occur, or whether we can somehow predict them.
Professor Bard said: “Direct instrumental measurements of solar activity only began in the 17th century with the counting of sunspots. We now also receive detailed records from ground-based observatories, space probes and satellites. However, all these short-term instrumental data of the Records are not sufficient for a complete understanding of the Sun. “Radiocarbon measured in tree rings, used in conjunction with beryllium in polar ice cores, provides the best way to understand the behavior of the Sun in the distant past.”
The largest directly observed solar storm occurred in 1859 and is known as the Carrington event. This caused massive disruptions on Earth; Telegraph machines were destroyed, and at night there was an aurora so bright that the birds began to sing, thinking the sun was beginning to rise. But the magnitude of Miyake events (including the recently discovered 14,300-year storm) will be much larger.
Professor Heaton said: “Radiocarbon provides an extraordinary way to examine Earth’s history and reconstruct critical events it has experienced. An accurate understanding of our past is essential if we are to accurately predict our future and reduce potential risks. We still have much to learn.” “Each new discovery not only helps answer existing fundamental questions, but can also generate new ones.”
Cécile Miramont, Associate Professor in Palaeoenvironment and Paleoclimate at IMBE University of Aix-en-Provence, said: “The discovery of such a preserved collection of trees was truly extraordinary. By comparing the widths of individual annual rings on multiple tree trunks, we use a technique called dendrochronology to determine the results over a longer period of time.” “We carefully pieced together individual trees to create the scale. This allowed us to reveal invaluable information about past environmental changes and measure radiocarbon during an unknown period of solar activity.” Source
Source: Port Altele
