Overview

Space weather is defined as the physical and phenomenological state of natural space environments. Observation, monitoring, analysis and modelling of the state of the Sun and interplanetary and planetary environments (both via space- and ground-based observations) help us to understand its state and the possible impacts on Earth.

Scope

There are several mechanisms of action (and concern) related to space weather impacts on humanity and Earth-based industries. These include the induction of geomagnetically-induced currents (GIC) in terrestrial conductors, fluctuations in Earth’s magnetic field as measured by instruments on the ground, modifications to radio signal propagation characteristics and associated ground-based and satellite services, changes to atmospheric drag that can disrupt a satellite’s orbit and orientation, and space radiation risks to spacecraft and aircraft components and the well-being of aircrew, passengers and space-farers.

From this, the most relevant industrial sectors which would potentially benefit from the monitoring, assessment and prediction of space weather impacts on various infrastructure, are as follows:

• Electricity Networks – power infrastructure due to their susceptibility to disruption from GICs.
• Natural Resource Pipelines – GICs are expected to both impact the efficacy of the cathodic protection systems used to prevent corrosion along pipelines and interfere with the manual surveys carried out to monitor their function.
• Aviation – high-latitude and polar flights are thought to be susceptible to space weather impacts on radio communications, satellite navigation system errors and radiation hazards to humans and avionics.
• Railway – though less documented, historical evidence suggests that rail networks may be susceptible to space weather impacts on systems and components in rail infrastructure.
• Resource exploration – Magnetometer surveys are used to identify mineral deposits in the Earth’s crust, for which measurements can be altered due to space weather events. Likewise, deep sea drilling operations rely on the Earth’s horizontal magnetic field for navigation, which can be impacted by space weather events.