Findings that the solar storm is upsetting the sense of whales and stranded
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Since whales use magnetic fields for their navigation, it has been pointed out that whale grounding may be related to changes in the Earth's magnetic field. On the other hand, new research suggests that a solar storm may be disrupting the whale sensor itself, rather than the whale being stranded by changing magnetic fields.
Gray whales strand more often on days with increased levels of atmospheric radio-frequency noise: Current Biology
https://www.cell.com/current-biology/fulltext/S0960-9822(20)30028-2
Solar storms can mess with whales' ability to navigate, cause strandings-CNET
https://www.cnet.com/news/solar-storms-can-mess-with-whales-ability-to-navigate-the-ocean/
A Link Between Solar Storms and Whale Strandings-The Atlantic
https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2020/02/link-between-solar-storms-and-whale-strandings/606910/
The plasma ejected from the sun when a large-scale solar flare occurs is called the solar wind, and the electromagnetic waves, particle beams, and particles contained in this solar wind have a large effect on satellites on and near the earth. Is called a solar storm .
New research has shown that solar storms affect not only satellites but also whale behavior.
A team from Jess Granger , a sensory ecologist at Duke University and others, studied 186 gray whale strandings reported between 1985 and 2018. As a result of surveying gray whales excluding individuals stranded due to injuries, illness, weakness, and relations with humans, gray whales stranded were various types such as `` the number of sunspots '', `` changes in the earth's magnetic field '', `` solar radio flux '' The relationship with the element was confirmed. Solar radio flux is high-frequency noise measured at a certain frequency or higher, related to the number of sunspots, and increased by solar storms.
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Researchers have found that the number of gray whales stranded tends to double on days with more than 150 sunspots compared to days with less than 12 sunspots. It has also been shown that four times as many gray whales aground as radio flux increases.
The researchers next investigated whether the gray whale stranded was due to solar activity changing the Earth's magnetic field, or whether the gray whale sensor itself was confusing. Mr Granger asked the question, 'Is the solar storm changing the magnetic field and giving whales the wrong information ... that is, whales are going to be on 4th Avenue but are actually on 8th Avenue? Or is the solar storm confusing the sensor itself and the whale thinks he's on Fourth Avenue but he's actually lost? '
However, researchers said that conducting a survey based on the Earth's magnetic field did not indicate that gray whales were stranded due to the effect of changes in the magnetic field. This has led researchers to conclude that the gray whale was likely to have stranded not because the solar storm affected the Earth's magnetic field, but because the sensor itself was disrupted by the solar storm.
by Sam Beebe
Previous studies have shown that solar activity is associated with whale stranding. Researchers have shown that sperm whale strandedness is associated with increased solar activity, and NASA has pointed out that a solar storm could disrupt the magnetic field .
On the other hand, experts have pointed out that high frequency can not reach the depth of water that affects sperm whales swimming deep in the sea, but gray whales swim near the sea surface compared to sperm whales, so high frequency noise is It is more likely to arrive.
In the future, Mr. Granger says he will investigate whether other types of whales are affected by sunspots and whether they are stranded outside the United States.
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