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Satellites, including those used for GPS and communications, will face greater risks in coming decades during solar-triggered geomagnetic storms because of the effect climate pollution has on Earth's atmosphere, a new study found.
The increasing volume of planet-warming carbon dioxide in the upper atmosphere is likely to make the air less dense, while geomagnetic storms have the opposite effect: The ensuing rapid changes in density as a result could cause serious troubles for satellite operations.
This study, published in the journal Geophysical Research Letters, comes at a time when the world is growing more dependent on satellite networks for everything from internet access to navigation, as well as military applications.
Geomagnetic storms occur when charged particles from the Sun interact with the Earth's upper atmosphere. Their most visible impact is the auroras that light up the sky with green, purple and pink light. But strong storms can wreak havoc on satellite operations and communication.
A less dense atmosphere means satellites in the future would experience less drag, and that could lengthen their lifespan — and would also exacerbate the problem of more space junk in low Earth orbit, Nicholas Pedatella of the National Center for Atmospheric Research told CNN.
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📷: Ian Forsyth/Getty Images; Justin Ide/Bloomberg/Getty Images
