“How Solar Flares Affect the Atmosphere of Our Planet”. by Dr Susanna Bekker, Astrophysics Research Centre, QUB

Abstract:

Solar flares are among the most powerful energy releases in the Solar System: a single flare can emit as much energy as humanity consumes in a million years. Unsurprisingly, such enormous events leave detectable signatures at Earth, despite the vast distance between us and the Sun. Solar flares produce a wide range of atmospheric effects, from beautiful phenomena such as auroras to less pleasant consequences such as radio blackouts, navigation errors, and disruptions in satellite operations.

As we are at the peak of Solar Cycle 25, it is especially important to understand how the Earth’s atmosphere responds to these events and how long it takes to recover afterward. This talk will review the various impacts of solar flares and provide insight into our ongoing efforts to investigate these phenomena and improve our ability to predict them.

Bio:

I earned my PhD at the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology (MIPT) in 2019, where I studied and modelled the behaviour of the Earth’s lower ionosphere under both quiet conditions and various natural disturbances. In 2023, I joined the Astrophysics Research Centre at Queen’s University Belfast as a Research Fellow. By combining my geophysical background with the expertise of outstanding astrophysicists, the QUB solar flare group has identified and evaluated several previously unrecognised Sun-Earth interaction effects. We continue to investigate the full chain of processes, from the generation of solar emissions on the Sun to the disturbances they produce in the Earth’s atmosphere.