Mesmerising auroras can threaten planet Earth, harm critical infrastructure: Scientists

The auroras have always appeared mesmerising and mythical to humans, however, a new study suggests that they can actually be a threat to our planet.

The forces which lead to the generationof the auroras also causethe formation of currents which can damage infrastructure through which electricity is conducted, like pipelines.

The scientists wrote about how harmful these auroras can be in thejournal,Frontiers in Astronomy and Space Sciences.

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They also noted that the impact angle of interplanetary shocks is the reason which determines the strength of the current and gives an opportunity for forecasting dangerous shocks and shielding critical infrastructure.

The article's lead author, DrDenny Oliveira fromNASA's Goddard Space Flight Centresaid, "Auroras and geomagnetically induced currents are caused by similar space weather drivers. The aurora is a visual warning that indicates thatelectric currentsin space can generate these geomagnetically-induced currents on the ground."

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"The auroral region can greatly expand during severe geomagnetic storms," he added.

"Usually, its southernmost boundary is around latitudes of 70 degrees, but duringextreme events, it can go down to 40 degrees or even further, which certainly occurred during the May 2024 storm—the most severe storm in the past two decades," said Oliveira.

Howareauroras formed?

The auroras are created by two processes - when particles ejected from the Sun reach the magnetic field of Earth and lead to a geomagnetic storm, or when Earth's magnetic field is compressed by interplanetary shocks.

The shocks also lead to the generation of geomagnetically induced currents. This has the capacity of damaging the infrastructure which conducts electricity.

More powerful interplanetary shocks hint at more powerful currents and auroras.However, researchers noted thatless powerful and frequent shocks can also be damaging.

"Arguably, the most intense deleterious effects on power infrastructure occurred in March 1989 following a severe geomagnetic storm—the Hydro-Quebec system in Canada was shut down for nearly nine hours, leaving millions of people with no electricity," Oliveira said.

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"But weaker, more frequent events such as interplanetary shocks can pose threats to ground conductors over time. Our work shows that considerable geoelectric currents occur quite frequently aftershocks, and they deserve attention," he added.

The lead author further suggested, "One thing power infrastructure operators could do to safeguard their equipment is to manage a few specific electric circuits when a shock alert is issued. This would prevent geomagnetically induced currents from reducing the lifetime of the equipment."

(With inputs from agencies)