Ravil Rakhmatulin, Doctor of Physical and Mathematical Sciences, Head of the Complex Magnetic-Ionospheric Observatory of the Institute of Solar-Terrestrial Physics of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, spoke about the consequences of magnetic storms.
According to the scientist, cosmic rays and magnetic storms can provoke malfunctions in spacecraft, disable electronic equipment on Earth and navigation and communication systems, and also lead to radiation exposure of passengers on jet aircraft.
At the same time, Rakhmatulin pointed out that there is no consensus in the world scientific community about the direct impact of such phenomena on human health. "Despite the fact that a number of scientific publications have reported that such an effect has been found, such studies often use concepts and methods that are partially or completely recognized as unscientific," he explained.
The specialist added that at one time there was a heated debate about the influence of solar activity on the occurrence of accidents, which was pointed out in 1928 by Alexander Chizhevsky, the founder of heliobiology, a branch of biophysics that studies the effect of changes in the activity of the Sun and the disturbances it causes on terrestrial organisms.
The scientist noted that the study of the Earth's magnetic field in its various manifestations is the most important task of modern science.