Ancient Tree Rings Reveal ‘Unimaginable’ Two-Year Solar Storms That Could Destroy Global Infrastructure

Science Ancient Tree Rings Reveal ‘Unimaginable’ Two-Year Solar Storms That Could Destroy Global Infrastructure Jamie Carter Senior Contributor Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own. I inspire people to go stargazing, watch the Moon, enjoy the night sky Following New! Follow this author to stay notified about their latest stories. Got it! Oct 25, 2022, 10:00pm EDT | New! Click on the conversation bubble to join the conversation Got it! Share to Facebook Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin A composite image showing a tree ring and flames – UQ researchers used tree ring data to model the .

. . [+] global carbon cycle to challenge the common theory about Miyake Events.

The University of Queensland What is a “Miyake Event?” It’s an important question because if one happened today the effect on global infrastructure would be “unimaginable,” according to the authors of new research into tree rings. Worse, there’s a 1% chance it could happen in the next decade, destroying technology including satellites, internet cables, long-distance power lines and transformers, they said. A “Miyake Event” refers to something sinister coming from to Earth from the Sun—and we know how often they occur because they leave an imprint in tree rings.

Since it’s possible to count a tree’s rings to identify its age it’s also possible to see historical cosmic events going back thousands of years. A “Miyake Event” is specifically when tree rings reveal a level of an isotope called carbon-14 about 20 times as higher than normal. MORE FROM FORBES Why America Should Suddenly Prepare For A Billion-Dollar ‘Internet Apocalypse’ Caused By The Sun By Jamie Carter “Huge bursts of cosmic radiation, known as Miyake Events, have occurred approximately once every thousand years, but what causes them is unclear,” said research team leader Dr.

Benjamin Pope from the University of Queensland’s School of Mathematics and Physics. “The effect on global infrastructure would be unimaginable. ” The new paper published today in the Proceedings of the Royal Society A: Mathematical Physical and Engineering Sciences.

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” MORE FROM FORBES The Sun Is Now More Active Than NASA Predicted. It Could Be In Its Strongest Cycle Since Records Began By Jamie Carter It was suspected that such events could be caused by solar flares, which send a surge of charged particles into space. We know the Sun has a sunspot cycle of roughly 11 years long during which it waxes to “solar maximum” (indicated by lots of sunspots on its surface and during which solar flares are more common) and wanes to “solar minimum.

” Solar maximum is due in late 2024. However, “Miyake Events” could be more sinister. “We’ve shown they’re not correlated with sunspot activity, and some actually last one or two years,” said Pope.

So rather than a single instantaneous explosion or flare such events may be the result of a more prolonged storm or outburst. ” This is disturbing, said Pope. “Based on available data, there’s roughly a one per cent chance of seeing another one within the next decade .

. . but we don’t know how to predict it or what harms it may cause.

” Is the internet safe? Apparently not . Wishing you clear skies and wide eyes. Follow me on Twitter or LinkedIn .

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