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Do solar storms benefit earth? — Parallax Forums

Do solar storms benefit earth?

lardomlardom Posts: 1,659
edited 2012-08-28 07:45 in General Discussion
The Mars rover and Neil Armstrong have me thinking about space. The Science Channel had a program which described the earth's core as a dynamo, an effect created as the earth rotates around a liquid metal core. The dynamo produces the poles which deflect the ion cloud from the sun.
In the video at 3:17 and again at 3:31 the solar wind is funneled into the poles. This is an electrical/magnetic interaction. I know this wreaks havoc on the power grid and our communications but does this have a benefit on the earth itself?

[video=youtube_share;N5utQxtma2U]

Comments

  • LoopyBytelooseLoopyByteloose Posts: 12,537
    edited 2012-08-27 09:28
    Well, when a solar storm destroyed much of Canada's power grid, electricans from all over North American were mobilized to fix it and they were happy with having work.
  • dmagnusdmagnus Posts: 271
    edited 2012-08-27 09:31
    But when the big one hits and takes out the power grid over vast areas of the earth, we will be sent immediately back to the 19th century. Some say that would be a benefit. I don't think so.
  • LoopyBytelooseLoopyByteloose Posts: 12,537
    edited 2012-08-27 09:37
    Heatwaves without air conditioning being available have been huge killers in recent history in Chicago and Paris, France - especially the elderly, the very young, and feeble. Paris apparently didn't have a/c in the hospitals at that time.

    So, the combination of global warming and wide power outages could be a 'perfect storm' condition.
  • tonyp12tonyp12 Posts: 1,951
    edited 2012-08-27 10:16
    Solar storm of 1859, U.S only had telegraph wires.
    If the same storm happened now, mayor problems.

    Though a Gamma-ray burst from a distance place in Universe (last around 30 seconds),
    will pretty burn everything to a crisp on that half side of earth, unless you are under 10 feet of dirt.
    Only 1% chance that will happens in earths lifetime, but when it do there is no warning as it travels at the speed of light.
  • RagtopRagtop Posts: 406
    edited 2012-08-27 10:30
    I have a pet theory about evolution and solar fluctuations causing small planet wide mutations.
  • lardomlardom Posts: 1,659
    edited 2012-08-27 10:42
    I have a theory that uranium helps to maintain the earth's core temperature. I don't really know. It just makes sense to me.
  • skylightskylight Posts: 1,915
    edited 2012-08-27 12:23
    Do the storms help replenish the ozone layer by ionizing the atmosphere?
  • Heater.Heater. Posts: 21,230
    edited 2012-08-27 13:10
    What do you mean by "Benefit Earth" ?
    Solar storms happen, along with many other phenomena.
    Earth does know or care it just happens.
    Perhaps we humans worry about such things. But there is no special reason we have to be here.
  • ElectricAyeElectricAye Posts: 4,561
    edited 2012-08-27 13:32
    Solar storms sometimes benefit me - I like to watch the aurora. Does that count?
  • skylightskylight Posts: 1,915
    edited 2012-08-27 14:14
    I think it's a lot of borealis :lol:
  • lardomlardom Posts: 1,659
    edited 2012-08-27 15:51
    @Heater. Don't laugh! I wondered if the solar plasma energized the 'dynamo' or raised earth's core temperature.
  • skylightskylight Posts: 1,915
    edited 2012-08-27 16:36
    Although not a regular occurance I wonder if it would be possible to tap into the energy whether heat or radiation or whatever?
  • mindrobotsmindrobots Posts: 6,506
    edited 2012-08-27 16:46
    skylight wrote: »
    Although not a regular occurance I wonder if it would be possible to tap into the energy whether heat or radiation or whatever?
    Interesting but about as useful as solar power during a Cleveland winter (feel free to replace Cleveland with your local version of areas that have cloud cover from October through April).....or just feel free to replace Cleveland, the suburbs will thank you!
  • skylightskylight Posts: 1,915
    edited 2012-08-27 16:50
    I was thinking more along how much energy those storms produce and if it could be collected and stored?
    could the particle energy be collected into a giant capacitor for instance?
  • ElectricAyeElectricAye Posts: 4,561
    edited 2012-08-27 17:00
    skylight wrote: »
    I was thinking more along how much energy those storms produce and if it could be collected and stored?
    could the particle energy be collected into a giant capacitor for instance?

    Do a search for the Space Shuttle space tether experiment.

    http://www-istp.gsfc.nasa.gov/Education/wtether.html

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electrodynamic_tether
  • skylightskylight Posts: 1,915
    edited 2012-08-27 17:11
    Only in space does something like that become possible with weightlessness, but back on the surface could the charge be removed from the particles or would they release their energy as they hit a plate? and then batteries could store that charge? Or what about the wind sail idea for spacecraft could a large enough sail be moved by the storm?
  • ElectricAyeElectricAye Posts: 4,561
    edited 2012-08-27 18:05
    skylight wrote: »
    ...back on the surface could the charge be removed from the particles or would they release their energy as they hit a plate? and then batteries could store that charge? Or what about the wind sail idea for spacecraft could a large enough sail be moved by the storm?

    There's the magneto telluric current thing, if that's what you're talking about.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telluric_current

    As for the protons that come spiraling down earth's magnetic field lines at the poles, I suppose if you could mount a plate high enough, you might get some currents. After all, that's what powers the aurora, I believe. I don't think a very large percentage of that particle energy ever makes it near the ground, however. I'm guessing that currents induced by magnetic fluctuations would probably be your best bet for sucking energy from a solar storm. But I'm no expert.
  • TorTor Posts: 2,010
    edited 2012-08-28 01:16
    lardom wrote: »
    @Heater. Don't laugh! I wondered if the solar plasma energized the 'dynamo' or raised earth's core temperature.
    I think it's safe to say that no, it doesn't.. the dynamo is a lot of molten iron etc. plus convection forces deep down in the core, while the solar plasma is just charged particles streaming along the magnetic flux lines. It's difficult to imagine that any significant amount of energy could be transferred to the core that way. Then again these are just my layman musings.

    -Tor
  • lardomlardom Posts: 1,659
    edited 2012-08-28 07:45
    @Tor. I'm a layman too. I tried to ask an open question to hear the ideas of a lot of smart people. The subject also led me to do a search on 'ion propulsion' which led to questions about radioactivity, nuclear rockets and so on...
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