Solar Tsunami?

**your_comforting_company** · 08-04-2010, 07:30 AM

The weather channel is talking about a huge solar storm that will be causing aurora borealis. The sun launches all sorts of ions, and electromagnetic waves and pulses, etc, which got me thinking...

We talk about terroristic EMP attacks, but doesn't the sun... the very thing that gives us life on this planted... have greater potential for causing infrastructure collapse, based on the idea that a huge EMP blast would crash electronics everywhere?

I know one or two people who are HAM radio nuts, and I spoke with them briefly about this. I thought it was pretty cool that we use the earth's ionosphere to bounce radio waves around the globe... but what happens when the sun blasts it away?

If anyone gets pics of the aurora, post them up. If anyone here does HAM tell us how this solar storm affects you. Of course if it knocks out our electronics, you won't be able to post and we'll all know the results of this "solar tsunami".
In my mind, this is a more realistic possibility than some 200 ton EMP bomb being smuggled into the USA and detonated. Thoughts and comments welcome!

**crashdive123** · 08-04-2010, 08:38 AM

Here's a little info on this event. http://www.csmonitor.com/Science/201...solar-eruption

**your_comforting_company** · 08-04-2010, 12:37 PM

related info link from the same page.
http://www.csmonitor.com/Innovation/...earth-prepared

**SARKY** · 08-04-2010, 02:04 PM

I think it was Discovery channel that did a docudrama about just such an event. most of the story took place in NYC (sorry Miss B). But they did show the effects around the world. The biggest thing was all the transformers got fried. Apparently it takes a year to build one??? and there aren't a lot of spares around.

**Rick** · 08-04-2010, 04:06 PM

Oh! Snap! How many times do we have to go through this?! Why does the world think it takes a year to build a transformer? It's coiled wire and a case for cryin' out loud.

http://www.wilderness-survival.net/f...ht=solar+flare

http://www.wilderness-survival.net/f...ht=solar+cycle

**Camp10** · 08-04-2010, 04:41 PM

Originally Posted by SARKY

I think it was Discovery channel that did a docudrama about just such an event. most of the story took place in NYC (sorry Miss B). But they did show the effects around the world. The biggest thing was all the transformers got fried. Apparently it takes a year to build one??? and there aren't a lot of spares around.

Originally Posted by Rick

Oh! Snap! How many times do we have to go through this?! Why does the world think it takes a year to build a transformer? It's coiled wire and a case for cryin' out loud.

What Rick said! While it does take quite a while to get a large stepper transformer built and delivered (the "and delivered" is the time consuming part), a station transformer is sitting under a large, grounded steel structure (the substation) on a grounding mat that is tied to a grounding grid...it probably wont get hurt.

We had a lightning storm not that many days ago. There were several direct hits on our lines. We had one transformer to change in our entire district. It was a 10 KVA and pole mounted. It fed 1 house and took about 20 minutes to replace once we got to it. That one customer was out for about 2 hours, the rest of the line was back on in about 45 minutes. There was more damage to the wires from trees but that was the only lightning damaged transformer in the whole district.

Last night we also had a lightning storm and while it knocked out power to several streets, it didnt damage any transformers.

A solar event might effect communications but unless it can take down trees and lines, it shouldnt hurt the power that much.

**Rick** · 08-04-2010, 06:42 PM

If you look at what really took Canada and the East Coast down during the last solar behemoth it wasn't burned up transformers. It was identified as a defective switch that burned out. That in turn triggered a controlled shut down that led to the blackout. The problem wasn't the switch but the controlled shut down. Since then. Utility companies, in particular those companies responsible for managing the grid, have changed those procedures based on lessons learned in that event. Today, a repeat would be unlikely. I would certainly concede that a huge solar event could cause significant problems but the only long term impact is likely to be satellite based.

The good news is that solar flares are monitored and even predicted with some degree of certainty. The current solar cycle is projected to be a small one so we shouldn't have much concern with solar activity until 2017 or so.

**your_comforting_company** · 08-05-2010, 07:35 AM

I was under the impression that it would affect our normal "everyday" stuff, like laptops and cell phones, and ECUs in cars. Was I misinformed?
I admit, this is something I've not studied about. I apologize for my ignorance.

If it could affect our microelectronics, it would pose a different problem altogether for the power grids, since most of them are managed on computer based networks nowadays.

**trax** · 08-05-2010, 10:34 AM

I don't know so much about all these catastrophes, but the northern lights have been great the last few nights.

**your_comforting_company** · 08-06-2010, 06:32 AM

Sometimes I wish I lived farther north so I could see something like that..
Then I remember how friggin cold it is up there and I'm glad I don't!

**AirborneEagles** · 08-06-2010, 10:32 PM

Well there are ways to shield your electronics and even your home from an EMP, just copper mesh that is grounded well in several places. However, most won't go through with the expense of the "just in case" something happens. So many HAM's around here just put a HAM with a battery pack, a solar cell for charging and what ever else they need into a well insulated ammo box with copper shielding on it. The rest is free from Nature.

On that point, anyone ever thought of teaching a few survival courses for a few bucks that included EMP shielding? I am thinking of teaching a few courses since I have had so many requests locally here about anything from building their own Rock/mud shelter (Perm) and how to build a water collector out of a plastic bad (and home made water filter), even building their own solar cookers.
I think if anyone was interested there would probably be a big turn out in your areas. I only know of a few edible plants, but not all here, but people are begging for people to show them what to eat off the land if you have that knowledge. For 10 to 20 dollars a person you could make rent easy in a weekend for a few hours work. Just an idea in case anyone is interested.

EMP shielding would be good too. People just like to even know these things.