(METEOGIORNALE.IT) The unexpected cooling of the highest sky
The share that surrounds the earth beyond the 100 kilometerswhat scientists call thermosphereis doing more cold e subtle. To drive this transformation is not the Solebut the increase in carbon dioxide (CO₂) which, at those heights, disperses the heat in space instead of traping it. Plus the concentration of CO₂ grows, the more the air density decreases.
When the sun lashes the orbit
A geomagnetic storm born from the arrival of charged particles thrown from Sole. The impact electrifies the atmosphere, which for a few days does swelling And it becomes more dense. I satellites in low orbit they immediately feel the difference: the resistence increases, the trajectories they lower and the fuel consumption for corrections it salt.
A supercomputer to peek in 2084
The experts of the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NSF NCAR)together withUniversity of Kyushuhave reconstructed the computer the SuperTempesta of 10-11 May 2024but they made it explode in four different eras: 2016, 2040, 2061 e 2084. The model Community Earth System Model Whole Atmosphere Community Climate Model with thermosphere-ionosphere eXtension has scolded the air up to about 700 kilometerstaking advantage of the power of the supercomputer Right In the Wyoming.
Higher spikes in a more rarefied air
The results show that, in the final part of the century, the atmosphere will be up to 50% less dense in the moment of maximum turbulence. Yet therelative surge – that is, the leap from the value of quiet to the peak – will be more abrupt: if today one super -up doubles the density, tomorrow it could almost triple it. A more violent impact on a lighter layer of air will mean drag sudden, problems ASSET SYSTEMS and, in the worst cases, the risk of Loss of the operational fee.
Towards satellites designed for a different sky
Second Nicholas pedatellafirst author of the study published on Geophysical Research Lettersthe industry will have to rethink massa, shape e propulsion of future vehicles. Knowing in advance how the atmosphere response will change is crucial for the network of GPSfor the global communications and for the missions of terrestrial observation that populate the busiest orbital bands.
A dynamic in constant evolution
The question of how different types of stormdistributed along the whole solar cycle eleven years old, they will change this picture. The same researchers announce further investigations to reveal the connections between low air layersincreasingly rich in Serra gasand thehigh atmosphere who watches over ours technologies.
Reference: “Impact of Increasing Greenhouse Gases on the Ionosphere and Thermosphere Response to a May 2024-Like Geomagnetic Superstorm” by Nicholas M. Pedatella, Huixin Liu, Han-Li Liu, Adam Herrington and Joseph McInerney, 14 June 2025, Geophysical Research Letters. DOI: 10.1029/2025GL116445
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