Oct 21, 2022 07:00:00

What is the ``effect of space weather on the human body'' found by investigating the inhabitants of the island that is most affected by the solar wind on earth?

The sun periodically emits charged particles, which form the '

solar wind ' and blow toward the earth. Studies examining the health conditions of people living in the `` cusp region ,'' where the influence of the heliosphere is most pronounced on Earth, have suggested that the solar wind may be correlated with health problems such as mental illness and inflammation. increase.

The Effect of Space Weather on Human Body at the Spitsbergen Archipelago | IntechOpen
https://www.intechopen.com/chapters/69119

Polar regions such as the Arctic are known for the solar wind's plasma to reach the upper atmosphere directly. In particular, the upper atmosphere in places called 'cusp regions' are so affected by the solar wind that they are called 'windows to space'. It is known as the place where it appears most prominently. One of the islands in the Cusp region is the Norwegian Spitsbergen Islands.

Disturbances in the magnetosphere caused by solar flares are thought to affect the human body along with electromagnetic waves. For example, certain geomagnetic pulsations may modulate the functional activity of the brain and blood vessels, with the potential to affect certain mental states.

Natalia Belisheva of the International Arctic Science Committee examined the past health conditions of people living in the town of Barentsburg in the Spitsbergen Islands, and found that exposure to electromagnetic waves emitted by the sun and mental disorders and injuries A significant correlation was found between poisoning and the incidence of arterial, arteriolar, and venous disease and pregnancy complications.

Furthermore, in the polar regions, a special phenomenon such as the 'Midnight Sun' occurs, where the sun's light shines all day long. Belisheva, who thought that the effects of the sun's ultraviolet rays and other factors would also appear on health in such an environment, investigated the incidence of disease with conditions narrowed down to the white night and the polar night.

As a result, it was found that the prevalence of skin and subcutaneous infections was significantly higher during the polar night than during the midnight sun. It is thought that excessive exposure of the skin to UV rays inhibits the growth of pathogenic microflora that cause skin diseases.

White nights are more susceptible to solar activity than polar nights, and while skin diseases have decreased, morbidity such as mental disorders is on the rise. Increased solar activity causes mental agitation, anxiety, deterioration of health conditions, and is an underlying cause of increased alcohol consumption in some people.

The above studies also revealed that morbidity was associated with solar and geomagnetic activity, even for certain diseases such as inflammation of the female reproductive system. In this regard, Belisheva wrote, 'We found that women have a high sensitivity to space weather fluctuations in the polar regions.'

This study showed that the prevalence of various diseases changes in synchronization with solar activity. Belisheva noted that it is possible to derive preventative measures against the disease.