The last solar storm was so severe that it sank to the ocean floor

The beginning of May was a highly stormy period for our Sun.

A powerful solar storm lit up skies worldwide with mesmerizing and intense aurora displays. Surprisingly, its impacts were felt far beyond our planet’s atmosphere, even at the bottom of the ocean.

Ocean Networks Canada’s instruments based deep beneath the ocean’s surface detected major disturbances in the Earth’s magnetic field.

These instruments, which function as underwater observatories, are located as deep as 1.6 miles (2.7 kilometers) below the ocean’s surface. These mainly serve as magnetic compasses to monitor the ocean off the coast of Canada.

ONC’s undersea observatories were able to record the impacts of the intense solar storm that influenced Earth in May. The data indicated “temporary distortions” in Earth’s magnetic field, showing how far-reaching these solar events can be.

“The reach of these data recordings kilometers under the ocean surface highlight[s] the magnitude of the solar flare over the past weekend and suggest[s] that the data may be useful for better understanding the geographic extent and intensity of these storms,” said Kate Moran, ONC president, and CEO.

Data anomaly

Solar storms or geomagnetic storms occur when our host star emits massive bursts of energy in the form of solar flares and coronal mass ejections. The rapid stream of particles interacts with the Earth’s magnetosphere, resulting in auroras. 

Apart from auroras, these storms may disrupt satellite communications and potentially impact power grids and navigation systems.

The underwater observatories are located on Canada’s west and east coasts. Compasses at a depth of 25 meters revealed movements ranging from +30 to -30 degrees, confirming the solar storm’s tremendous influence even at such remote depths.

Detection of solar storm

The ONC researchers noticed anomalies in the data during routine quality control checks. Initially, they were considered to be caused by an earthquake. 

 “I looked into whether it was potentially an earthquake, but that didn’t make a lot of sense because the changes in the data were lasting for too long and concurrently at different locations,” said Alex Slonimer, a scientific data specialist at ONC. 

“Then, I looked into whether it was a solar flare as the sun has been active recently,” added Slonimer.  

Indeed, the data variation was linked to magnetic disruptions caused by solar storms. The scientists discovered that the peak deviations in the compass needles coincided with the most active and colorful auroras.

“The next two years will be the peak of the 11-year solar cycle. After a decade of relative inactivity, aurora events like this past weekend are likely to become more frequent over the next couple of years, although solar variability makes precise prediction of such events impossible,” said Justin Albert, professor of physics at the University of Victoria, which leads ONC initiative.

“ONC’s network might provide a very helpful additional window into the effects of solar activity on the Earth’s terrestrial magnetism,” Albert concluded in the press release.

The data collected by these underwater observatories may provide crucial insights into how intense solar atoms impact the surface of the Earth. However, it is unclear if these disruptions influenced marine life. Perhaps these revelations may open a new research topic. 

As the 11-year solar cycle hits its peak, more breathtaking displays of the northern lights are expected.