Researchers studying a powerful solar flare from 2012 found that Earth's atmosphere exhibited synchronized pulses in direct response to rhythmic bursts of energy from the Sun. This marks the first time scientists have confirmed such synchronized behavior.
"Using a space based satellite, we detected rhythmic pulses from the sun every 90 seconds. We also analysed the changes in the density of Earth's atmosphere using a network of GPS satellites and ground-based receivers during this time and found that it responded with its own pulses just 30 seconds after the pulses were detected from the sun," explained Aisling O'Hare, lead author and PhD student in the School of Mathematics and Physics.
The team examined extreme ultraviolet radiation emitted during the flare and compared it with fluctuations in the ionosphere's total electron content (TEC). The response occurred almost immediately, suggesting that atmospheric impacts from major flares could manifest within half a minute of solar emission.
O'Hare, who is part of an International Space Science Institute team focused on Sun-Earth interactions, said the study illustrates just how sensitive Earth's upper atmosphere is to solar activity. "We are currently in solar maximum - the sun's most active part of its 11-year cycle, so flares are happening almost every day, and this study sheds new light on how deeply their effects are felt on Earth."
Dr Ryan Milligan, O'Hare's supervisor, emphasized the broader implications: "This work really shows just how sensitive our atmosphere is to subtle variations in solar radiation, although what drives these pulsations during solar flares in the first place still remains unknown."
He added, "Aisling's work goes a long way towards understanding the Sun-Earth relationship by studying them as an interconnected system, and not just looking at either body in isolation."
Research Report:Quasi-Periodic Pulsations in Ionospheric TEC Synchronized With Solar Flare EUV Emission
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