When the night sky over Britain lit up with a spectacular aurora borealis in May 2024, the dazzling display also revealed hidden weaknesses in the nation’s critical infrastructure. The geomagnetic storm that produced the lights reached a G5 level – the highest rating on the NOAA scale – and prompted the Space Environment Impacts Expert Group (SEIEG) to issue 14 recommendations aimed at safeguarding electricity supplies, satellites, aviation and other essential services.
Key infrastructure risks identified
SEIEG Chair Richard Horne, of the British Antarctic Survey, explained that the storm drove electrical currents through power transmission lines, threatening transformers and potentially disrupting electricity to homes and businesses. Computer models suggested currents of up to 68 amps at several substations, yet the United Kingdom currently lacks any instruments to measure such currents in England or Wales.
To close this gap, the group recommends installing a network of geomagnetically induced current monitors across the two nations. New Zealand, which faces similar space‑weather conditions, already monitors more than 80 transformer sites and successfully mitigated impacts during the same storm.
Satellite and aviation concerns
The storm also intensified activity in low‑Earth orbit. Nearly 5,000 satellites performed maneuvers during the event, a sharp rise from the usual 300, and UK‑licensed satellites saw a 35 % increase in collision warnings. Horne warned that severe space weather could raise the risk of debris‑creating collisions, leading to cascading damage to satellite networks.
In aviation, better forecasting of solar energetic particle events and coronal mass ejections would give airlines and pilots more time to adjust routes and protect avionics.
Calls for improved forecasting
SEIEG’s long‑term goal is to provide reliable forecasts of severe geomagnetic storms two to three hours before they strike Earth. Earlier warnings would allow power‑grid operators, satellite controllers and aircraft crews to take protective actions before the worst effects occur.
Horne emphasized that while the May 2024 storm was a “one‑in‑13‑year” event, a Carrington‑class solar storm—estimated to have a 1 % annual chance—remains a realistic future threat. He urged policymakers to act now, noting that the United Kingdom was fortunate the recent event was not a once‑in‑100‑year storm.
Next steps
The 14 recommendations have been submitted to the UK government and are under review. If adopted, they could significantly strengthen the nation’s resilience to space‑weather events that threaten power, communications and transportation systems.
Original reporting: KTBS 3 (Shreveport) — read the source article.
