Environment & Energy

kristopher

(29,798 posts)

3. The potential for severe problems with the power grid and other electronics is very real.

Wed Dec 14, 2011, 02:40 PM

Dec 2011

I don't know for sure, but I read the apocalyptic talk in the OP as a tongue-in-cheek nod to extremism while its thrust was on the realistic potential for harm that your post confirms.

...Known as a coronal mass ejection (CME), these solar explosions propel bursts of particles and electromagnetic fluctuations into Earth's atmosphere. Those fluctuations could induce electric fluctuations at ground level that could blow out transformers in power grids. The CME's particles can also collide with crucial electronics onboard a satellite and disrupt its systems.

In an increasingly technological world, where almost everyone relies on cell phones and GPS controls not just your in-car map system, but also airplane navigation and the extremely accurate clocks that govern financial transactions, space weather is a serious matter.

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Solar Storms in 2012 [View all] Dover Dec 2011 OP

2012 is going to be fun on so many fronts! nt DCKit Dec 2011 #1

2012: Killer Solar Flares Are a Physical Impossibility OKIsItJustMe Dec 2011 #2

The potential for severe problems with the power grid and other electronics is very real. kristopher Dec 2011 #3

Here’s the key passage OKIsItJustMe Dec 2011 #4

Well... kristopher Dec 2011 #5

OK, the key sentence fragment OKIsItJustMe Dec 2011 #7

Depends on your definition of 'killer', I suspect Dead_Parrot Dec 2011 #6

There’s a lot of silly talk going on about 2012 OKIsItJustMe Dec 2011 #8

That's the internet for you... Dead_Parrot Dec 2011 #9