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The Effect of Helio-Geomagnetic Activity in the Geo-Environment and by Extension to Human Health

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A special issue of Atmosphere (ISSN 2073-4433). This special issue belongs to the section "Upper Atmosphere".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 November 2021) | Viewed by 49604

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Dr. Panagiota Preka-Papadema

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Guest Editor

National and Kapodistrian, University of Athens, 157 72 Athens, Greece
Interests: solar physics; solar- terrestrial relations; helio-geomagnetic activity; planets; archaeoastronomy

Dr. Chris G. Tzanis

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

Section of Environmental Physics and Meteorology, Department of Physics, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, University Campus, 157 84 Athens, Greece
Interests: climate dynamics; climate physics; climate change and variability; aerosols; ambient air quality; ozone-climate interactions; atmospheric physics and chemistry; nonlinear processes; artificial intelligence and machine learning; remote sensing
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Dear Colleagues,

Solar activity includes the eruptive phenomena of the solar atmosphere: flares and Coronal Mass Ejections (CMEs). These events are spread through the Sun’s constant outflow of solar wind, influencing the very nature of interplanetary space, and can interact with the terrestrial magnetophere. As a consequence, energetic particles, waves and radiation, derived from the solar atmosphere, reach the geo-environment. Geomagnetic substorms or storms, as well as ionospheric disturbances, are recorded. Climatic parameters of the upper atmosphere are affected too. The effect of this helio-geomagnetic activity on human technology, e.g., in the operation of artificial satellites, on air flights, in electricity networks and gas pipelines, is well known, as well as its effect on the health of astronauts, either on the space station or space travel to the Moon and Mars. Many studies have been done on the impact of these events on weather and climate. However, the question remains open, although some correlation has been found between solar activity and various climatic factors. It seems that the biosphere is also affected by these events, as effects have been found on the evolution of some plants and the behavior of some animals. Moreover, many medical studies have shown the effect of the helio-geomagnetic activity on human health, with an emphasis on neurological and cardiological problems.
The purpose of the present Special Issue is the collection and classification of as many studies as possible on these subjects. This will give future researchers the opportunity to access aggregate results, and therefore make it easier to continue research on this topic, which is related to the very existence of life on earth.
Main topics:

The effect of helio-geomagnetic activity in the Atmosphere–Ionosphere
The effect of helio-geomagnetic activity on human health
The effect of helio-geomagnetic activity in the biosphere

Dr. Panagiota Preka-Papadema
Dr. Chris G. Tzanis
Guest Editors

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Keywords

solar activity
geomagnetic storms
ionospheric disturbances
climatic changes
human health

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Published Papers (11 papers)

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Editorial

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5 pages, 172 KiB

Open AccessEditor’s ChoiceEditorial

The Effect of Helio-Geomagnetic Activity in the Geo-Environment and by Extension to Human Health

by Panagiota Preka-Papadema and Chris G. Tzanis

Atmosphere 2024, 15(3), 293; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos15030293 - 27 Feb 2024

Viewed by 1774

Abstract

Solar activity encompasses various phenomena within the solar atmosphere, notably including eruptive events like solar flares and coronal mass ejections (CMEs) [...] Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Effect of Helio-Geomagnetic Activity in the Geo-Environment and by Extension to Human Health)

Research

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13 pages, 929 KiB

Open AccessEditor’s ChoiceArticle

Investigation of Dynamical Complexity in Swarm-Derived Geomagnetic Activity Indices Using Information Theory

by Georgios Balasis, Adamantia Zoe Boutsi, Constantinos Papadimitriou, Stelios M. Potirakis, Vasilis Pitsis, Ioannis A. Daglis, Anastasios Anastasiadis and Omiros Giannakis

Atmosphere 2023, 14(5), 890; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos14050890 - 19 May 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2021

Abstract

In 2023, the ESA’s Swarm constellation mission celebrates 10 years in orbit, offering one of the best ever surveys of the topside ionosphere. Among its achievements, it has been recently demonstrated that Swarm data can be used to derive space-based geomagnetic activity indices, similar to the standard ground-based geomagnetic indices monitoring magnetic storm and magnetospheric substorm activity. Recently, many novel concepts originating in time series analysis based on information theory have been developed, partly motivated by specific research questions linked to various domains of geosciences, including space physics. Here, we apply information theory approaches (i.e., Hurst exponent and a variety of entropy measures) to analyze the Swarm-derived magnetic indices from 2015, a year that included three out of the four most intense magnetic storm events of the previous solar cycle, including the strongest storm of solar cycle 24. We show the applicability of information theory to study the dynamical complexity of the upper atmosphere, through highlighting the temporal transition from the quiet-time to the storm-time magnetosphere, which may prove significant for space weather studies. Our results suggest that the spaceborne indices have the capacity to capture the same dynamics and behaviors, with regards to their informational content, as traditionally used ground-based ones. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Effect of Helio-Geomagnetic Activity in the Geo-Environment and by Extension to Human Health)

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9 pages, 3013 KiB

Open AccessCommunication

Total Solar Irradiance and Stroke Mortality by Neural Networks Modelling

by Styliani Geronikolou, Stelios Zimeras, Stephanos Tsitomeneas, Dennis Cokkinos and George P. Chrousos

Atmosphere 2023, 14(1), 114; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos14010114 - 4 Jan 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2503

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the potential effect of solar energy on vascular stroke mortality in a Greek region by using neural networks analysis. The time period studied was from 1985 to 1989. We employed the Active Cavity Radiometer Irradiance Monitoring (ACRIM) data as the main representatives of total solar irradiance (TSI) and correlated them with stroke deaths obtained from the Piraeus City Registry. The ACRIM data (parameters included TSI, TSI uncertainty, and EPOCH: time given by ACRIM) were correlated with stroke deaths using Principal Components Analysis (PCA), regressions, and, finally, neural networks. TSI was the most important parameter for the years 1985, 1986, 1987, and 1989, while EPOCH: time given by ACRIM was important for the year 1988. When considering the entire period 1985–1989, the key parameter emerged was EPOCH: time given by ACRIM. Neural networks are useful tools in exposomic investigation regarding solar energy and vascular strokes. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Effect of Helio-Geomagnetic Activity in the Geo-Environment and by Extension to Human Health)

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16 pages, 7149 KiB

Open AccessArticle

How Effective and Prerequisite Are Electromagnetic Extremely Low Frequency (ELF) Recordings in the Schumann Resonances Band to Function as Seismic Activity Precursors

by Vasilis Tritakis, Ioannis Contopoulos, Janusz Mlynarczyk, Vasilis Christofilakis, Giorgos Tatsis and Christos Repapis

Atmosphere 2022, 13(2), 185; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos13020185 - 24 Jan 2022

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2921

Abstract

ELF recordings, especially in the 0–50 Hz range (Schumann Resonances), have gained great interest during the last twenty years because of their possible relation to many geophysical, climatological, solar, and even biological phenomena, which several well-known scientists have reported. A very important question that still has not been answered is whether some particular variations in the Schumann Resonances (SR) band operate as precursors of forthcoming seismic activity. Greece and the wider Mediterranean area are a very seismic territory where medium size earthquakes (4–6.5 Richter) occur very often, contributing to a high percentage of the natural hazards of the area. In our effort to make evident how effective and prerequisite SR recordings are in the detection of forthcoming earthquakes, we analyze data collected for almost five years by two SR stations located in the north and the south edge of the Greek territory, respectively. We have come to the conclusion that particular SR modulations are very useful in the predictability of forthcoming seismic activity, but they need to be completed with additional observations of adjoining effects which can contribute to the final decision. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Effect of Helio-Geomagnetic Activity in the Geo-Environment and by Extension to Human Health)

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10 pages, 37905 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Radiation Exposure in the Lower Atmosphere during Different Periods of Solar Activity

by Anastasia Tezari, Pavlos Paschalis, Argyris Stassinakis, Helen Mavromichalaki, Pantelis Karaiskos, Maria Gerontidou, Dimitris Alexandridis, Anastasios Kanellakopoulos, Norma Crosby and Mark Dierckxsens

Atmosphere 2022, 13(2), 166; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos13020166 - 20 Jan 2022

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 2778

Abstract

In recent years, there has been a huge increase in air travel, both for business and leisure. For this reason, entities such as the European Commission and the International Committee on Radiological Protection have provided several recommendations for the radiation protection of aviation crews and frequent flyers, as well as highlighted the need for accurate tools for radiation assessment in the atmosphere. With a focus on the most frequent commercial flying altitudes, this work has performed dosimetry calculations in the lower atmosphere of Earth for different values of cut-off rigidity, covering the recent solar cycles 23 and 24. Results are based on Monte Carlo simulations performed with the validated Geant4 software application Dynamic Atmospheric Shower Tracking Interactive Model Application (DYASTIMA) and its extension, DYASTIMA-R. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Effect of Helio-Geomagnetic Activity in the Geo-Environment and by Extension to Human Health)

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14 pages, 3022 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Circulatory and Nervous Diseases Mortality Patterns—Comparison of Geomagnetic Storms and Quiet Periods

by Kateřina Podolská

Atmosphere 2022, 13(1), 13; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos13010013 - 22 Dec 2021

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 4761

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to statistically examine whether there are different patterns in daily numbers of deaths during the quiet periods of solar activity, in contrast to the periods of the strong solar storms. We considered three periods of solar storms (storm of 14 July 2000 Bastille Day Event, storm of 28 October 2003 Halloween Solar Storms, and storm of 17 March 2015 St. Patrick’s Day event) and three periods of continuous very low solar activity (13 September–24 October 1996, 21 July–20 August 2008, and 31 July–31 August 2009) during the Solar Cycles No. 23 and No. 24. In particular, we focus on diseases of the nervous system (group VI from ICD-10) and diseases of the circulatory system (group IX from ICD-10) separately for both sexes and two age groups (under 39 and 40+). We demonstrate that in the resulting graphical models there was a connection between the daily number of deaths and all indices of solar and geomagnetic activity in periods of low solar activity in contrast to periods of strong solar storms in some monitored groups according to age, sex, and group of diagnosis. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Effect of Helio-Geomagnetic Activity in the Geo-Environment and by Extension to Human Health)

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30 pages, 21981 KiB

Open AccessEditor’s ChoiceArticle

The Space and Terrestrial Weather Variations as Possible Factors for Ischemia Events in Saint Petersburg

by Olga M. Stupishina, Elena G. Golovina, Sergei N. Noskov, Gennady B. Eremin and Sergei A. Gorbanev

Atmosphere 2022, 13(1), 8; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos13010008 - 21 Dec 2021

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2674

Abstract

The Space and Terrestrial Weather (Weather Complex) impact on ischemia cases in Saint Petersburg is investigated. The results show the main feature of the Weather Complex when it was related to the days of the different ischemia situations in the different ischemia people gender groups. The data treatment was done with some elements of the Folder Epochs Method, Cluster Analysis and the Mann–Whitney hypothesis test criterion. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Effect of Helio-Geomagnetic Activity in the Geo-Environment and by Extension to Human Health)

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10 pages, 4560 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Human Psychophysiology Is Influenced by Low-Level Magnetic Fields: Solar Activity as the Cause

by Michael Hanzelka, Jiří Dan, Pavel Fiala and Přemysl Dohnal

Atmosphere 2021, 12(12), 1600; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos12121600 - 30 Nov 2021

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 7434

Abstract

We evaluate the impact of changes in solar activity on three significant human psychophysiological parameters: skin conductance, electromyography (EMG), and the share of abdominal and diaphragmatic breathing in overall ventilation. Variations affecting human psychophysiology due to changes in solar activity directly document the assertion that psychology, behavior, and decision-making all reflect geomagnetic field alterations that stem from variable solar activity. The relevant experiments showed that solar processes, during which the Earth is exposed to electrically charged particles from the Sun (solar wind), exert an impact on the psychophysiological parameters of the body. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Effect of Helio-Geomagnetic Activity in the Geo-Environment and by Extension to Human Health)

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Review

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22 pages, 3153 KiB

Open AccessReview

Application of Wavelet Methods in the Investigation of Geospace Disturbances: A Review and an Evaluation of the Approach for Quantifying Wavelet Power

by Christos Katsavrias, Constantinos Papadimitriou, Alexandros Hillaris and Georgios Balasis

Atmosphere 2022, 13(3), 499; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos13030499 - 20 Mar 2022

Cited by 17 | Viewed by 3814

Abstract

Geospace disturbances refer collectively to the variations of the geomagnetic field and the trapped particle populations in the near-Earth space. These are the result of transient and recurrent solar activity, which consequently drives the variable solar wind. They may appear in multiple timescales, from sub-seconds to days, months and years. Wavelet analysis is one of the most popular, and powerful, methods in the study of these variations, as it allows for the local decomposition of non-stationary time series in frequency (or time-scale) and time simultaneously. This article is a review of the wavelet methods used in the investigation of geomagnetic field oscillations, which underlines their advantages as spectral analysis methods and demonstrates their utilization in the interdependence of multiple time-series. Lastly, the proper methodology for the accurate estimation of the power inferred from geophysical signals, applicable in quantitative studies, is included and is publicly available at the database of the University of Athens. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Effect of Helio-Geomagnetic Activity in the Geo-Environment and by Extension to Human Health)

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13 pages, 1005 KiB

Open AccessEditor’s ChoiceReview

Space Weather Effects on the Earth’s Upper Atmosphere: Short Report on Ionospheric Storm Effects at Middle Latitudes

by Ioanna Tsagouri

Atmosphere 2022, 13(2), 346; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos13020346 - 18 Feb 2022

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 4299

Abstract

During geomagnetic storm events, the highly variable solar wind energy input in the magnetosphere significantly alters the structure of the Earth’s upper atmosphere through the interaction of the ionospheric plasma with atmospheric neutrals. A key element of the ionospheric storm-time response is considered to be the large-scale increases and decreases in the peak electron density that are observed globally to formulate the so-called positive and negative ionospheric storms, respectively. Mainly due to their significant impact on the reliable performance of technological systems, ionospheric storms have been extensively studied in recent decades, and cumulated knowledge and experience have been assigned to their understanding. Nevertheless, ionospheric storms constitute an important link in the complex chain of solar-terrestrial relations. In this respect, any new challenge introduced in the field by a better understanding of the geospace environment, new modeling and monitoring capabilities and/or new technologies and requirements also introduces new challenges for the interpretation of ionospheric storms. This paper attempts a brief survey of present knowledge on the fundamental aspects of large-scale ionospheric storm time response at middle latitudes. Further attention is paid to the results obtained regarding the critical role that solar wind conditions which trigger disturbances may play on the morphology and the occurrence of ionospheric storm effects. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Effect of Helio-Geomagnetic Activity in the Geo-Environment and by Extension to Human Health)

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15 pages, 277 KiB

Open AccessReview

Human Physiological Parameters Related to Solar and Geomagnetic Disturbances: Data from Different Geographic Regions

by Helen Mavromichalaki, Maria-Christina Papailiou, Maria Gerontidou, Svetla Dimitrova and Karel Kudela

Atmosphere 2021, 12(12), 1613; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos12121613 - 3 Dec 2021

Cited by 10 | Viewed by 10763

Abstract

It is well known that the various manifestations of space weather can influence a wide range of human activities, from technological systems to human health. Various earlier, as well as more recent multi-disciplinary heliobiological and biometeorological studies have revealed that the human organism is sensitive to environmental physical activity changes and reacts to them through variations of the physiological parameters of the human body. This paper constitutes an overview of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens investigations in regard to the possible effect of solar, geomagnetic, and cosmic ray activity on human physiological parameters. The Athens Cosmic Ray and Solar Physics Groups collaborated with scientific teams from different countries, statistically processing and analyzing data related to human physiological parameters (such as mean heart rate, arterial systolic, and diastolic pressure), or the number of incidents of different types of cardiac arrhythmias and so forth, in relation to data concerning and describing geomagnetic activity (geomagnetic indices Ap and Dst) and variations in cosmic ray intensity (Forbush decreases and cosmic ray intensity enhancements). In total, four projects were carried out concerning data from different geographical regions (Baku, Azerbaijan; Kosice, Slovakia; Tbilisi, Georgia; Piraeus, Greece), covering different time periods and time scales (daily data or yearly data), and referring to different groups of individuals (selected healthy persons or random persons). The studies concluded with interesting results concerning the possible influence of geomagnetic and cosmic ray activity on the human physiological state. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Effect of Helio-Geomagnetic Activity in the Geo-Environment and by Extension to Human Health)

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