Quote:

A once-in-a-century solar storm would threaten catastrophic destruction if a worst-case scenario event transpired, a new NASA report has found. Governments would be powerless to curb the loss of crucial infrastructure including power grids, potable water and sewage disposal, the report said, potentially crippling our way of life for months. The forecast is based in part on a similarly sized solar storm that took place in 1859, which melted telegraph wires and ignited widespread fires in Europe and the United States, Fox News reports. If a repeat event happened now, scientists warn the consequences would be far more serious — even "potentially catastrophic" — because modern technologies have made our infrastructure more inter-reliant. The danger lies in the sun emitting solar flares so intense that they produce magnetic pulses with the force to destroy power grids by melting transformers. The power outages could spur a series of devastating consequences: "Impacts would be felt on interdependent infrastructures with, for example, potable water distribution affected within several hours; perishable foods and medications lost in 12-24 hours; immediate or eventual loss of heating/air conditioning, sewage disposal, phone service, transportation, fuel resupply and so on," the report writes. "Emergency services would be strained, and command and control might be lost." The sun operates on an 11-year cycle, with the next "active" phase due in 2012 likely to present the nearest danger. Though worst-case storms are only expected to occur once every hundred years, smaller solar flares have caused major disruptions in modern times. In 1989, a sun storm was so powerful it blacked out the whole province of Quebec in Canada — an area almost the size of Queensland. Another event in 2003 knocked out two satellites circling the Earth and destroyed a piece of equipment on a Mars orbiter. "Obviously, the sun is Earth's life blood," NASA spokesman Richard Fisher was quoted as saying. "To mitigate possible public safety issues, it is vital that we better understand extreme space weather events caused by the sun's activity."

http://news.ninemsn.com.au/technology/717066/catastrophic-sun-storm-possible-nasa-warns

I'm reading a book at the moment called how to prosper in the coming hard times. The author is a bit of a loonie, but some good advice he gives is to store 6 months worth of food and water. Apparently he is a mormon and that is one of their 'commands'. 6 months might be a bit much, but I recently filled up my camping water bottles - 40L I think, plus the tank water is probably drinkable. Plus I buy rice in large quantites now, though the weavels get into a bit before I finish it off. Hopefully if something like this does happen, I will be less of a strain on the system than most people.

If something like that happens, run away. Staying in an area with people is going to get you killed for your supplies.

easel wrote on Jan 10^th, 2009 at 4:39pm:

If something like that happens, run away. Staying in an area with people is going to get you killed for your supplies.

Where would you run  ?..seriously I have never heard of solar storms so I have no knowledge of how they present.

Does it just get very hot weather 50+ or something like that? Or is it worse?

Would we be able to get away if a storm happened suddenly..

Maybe go underground.

Going back a few years where I am now had 11 days straight of 50+..pple were dying ( elderly)...Im guessing this is not a solar storm... :-/

I meant in a situation where water and food, apart from what you have on your person, becomes unavailable, then run away, because people will kill you for what you have.

It would take a while for it to get to that stage easel.

The surreal part will be when people start eating their pets, then drive around to the local asian restaurant and punch the owner and chef in the nose.

Muso, will we get to see the Aurora in QLD when it happens?

People with metallic dentures and metal in other parts of their bodies will feel very uncomfortable. Upart from that just a normal apocalypse.

Just remembered that electronic clocks and those having metal parts will be staffed, probably that's why Mayan calendar calls 2012 The End of Time. 2012 is when next Solar Max is due.

locutius wrote on Jan 16^th, 2009 at 4:22pm:

The surreal part will be when people start eating their pets, then drive around to the local asian restaurant and punch the owner and chef in the nose. Muso, will we get to see the Aurora in QLD when it happens?

There is no "when". It's a speculative report. We've had 12 or 13 Solar maxima since 1850 and no repeats of such a severe storm. If it was ever this severe, it is unlikely that it would be prolonged, and would only hit one hemisphere.  There is certainly no indication that the next solar maximum will be anything special.

It's like writing a story about a large meteor impact. A "what if" scenario.

I don't know about seeing Auroras in Queensland - it's a bit far from the poles. I think they've see strong auroras from Melbourne in the past.

They did not rely on electronic clocks in 1850.

he said SINCE 1850, doofus.

Aviatrix wrote on Jan 17^th, 2009 at 10:18pm:

he said SINCE 1850, doofus.

Proof it  ;D ;D ;D