Key Features:
No of Chapters: 4
No of Pages: 45
Abstract:
Solar activities are known to be an extreme increase in Ultraviolet and X-ray emissions from the Sun which produces dramatic effects on the earth's upper atmosphere. This Solar activity includes; Coronal Holes, Coronal Mass Ejections, Geomagnetic Storms (Solar Storms), Solar Flares, Sunspots e.t.c. The effects of these solar activities on the earth's atmosphere have been studied in this project work. We found that Solar activities have significant influences on the earth's atmosphere such as; change in the earth's magnetosphere, enhancing auroral activities, disturbances in communication signals and navigation systems increases spacecraft charging, interference with surveillance systems, disrupt radio and telecommunications, and also radiation threats to astronauts.
Table of Content:
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Title page................................................................................................................. i
Certification..........................……………………………………………...………………............... ii
Dedication.............................................................................................................. iii
Acknowledgement................................................................................................. iv
Abstract............................................... ……………………………………………………………….vi
Table of content..................................................................................................... vii
CHAPTER ONE
GENERAL INTRODUCTION
1.1. The sun…………………………………………………………………………………………………………3
1.2. Layers of the sun……………………………………………………………………………………………4
1.2.1. The chromosphere……………………………………………………………………………………..5
1.2.2. The photosphere. ………………………………………………………………………………………5
1.2.3. The corona. ……………………………………………………………………………………………….6
1.3. Solar cycle. ……………………………………………………………………………………………………7
1.4. Solar activities. ……………………………………………………………………………………………..7
1.4.1. Coronal holes (CHs) …………………………………………………………………………………..8
1.4.2. Coronal mass ejection (CMEs). …………………………………………………………………9
1.4.3. Geomagnetic storms (GSs)………………………………………………………………………..10
1.4.4. Solar flares (SFs). ……………………………………………………………………………………..10
1.4.5. Sunspots. …………………………………………………………………………………………………11
1.4.6. Space weather. ……………………………………………………………………………………….12
1.5. The Earth's Atmosphere. ……………………………………………………………………………12
1.5.1. Layers of the earth atmosphere. ………………………………………………………………13
1.5.1.1. Troposphere…………………………………………………………………………………………13
1.5.1.2. Stratosphere. ………………………………………………………………………………………..14
1.5.1.3. Mesosphere. …………………………………………………………………………………………15
1.5.1.4. Thermosphere. ……………………………………………………………………………………..15
1.5.1.5. Exosphere. ……………………………………………………………………………………………16
CHAPTER TWO
LITERATURE REVIEW
2.1. Review on the effect of solar activities on climate change. ………………………..17
2.2. Review on the effect of solar activities on communication. ………………………..18
2.3. Review on the effect of coronal mass ejection ( CME ). ………………………………19
2.4. Review on the effect of geomagnetic storms (GSs ). ……………………………………20
2.5. Review on the effect of solar flares (SFs )..…………………………………………………..21
2.6. Review on the effect of space weather. ……………………………………………………..22
2.7. Review on the effect of sunspots…………….…………………………………………………..24
CHAPTER THREE
EFFECTS OF SOLAR ACTIVITIES ON THE EARTH'S ATMOSPHERE
3.1. Effects of coronal mass ejections (CMEs). …………………………………………………..26
3.2. Effects of geomagnetic storms (GSs). ………………………………………………………….28
3.3. Effects of solar flares. ………………………………………………………………………………….29
3.4. Effects of sunspots. …………………………………………………………………………………….30
3.5. Effects of space weather. ……………………………………………………………………………31
CHAPTER FOUR
DISCUSSION, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION
4.1. Discussion…………………………………………………..………………………………………………33
4.2. Conclusion…………………………………………………..………………………………………………35
4.3. Recommendation…………………………………………………..……………………………………36
Reference…………………………………………………..………………………………………………………37
Introduction:
The sun, as we all know today is our closest star in the universe. The presence of this sun in our solar system is the reason why life on earth exists, it is also a force to reckon with and observations show it to be a "variable star ". The sun's energy is generated by thermonuclear reactions in its core. This ball of gas (SUN) has a large build-up of heat and pressure in its core that emit heat and radiant energy, it is also known to be a huge ball of electrically-charged hot-gas. This charged gas moves to generate a powerful magnetic field, the sun's magnetic field goes through a cycle called the "solar cycle "(Avakyan, 2008). Solar energy supports all life on Earth and is the basis for almost every form of energy we use. The sun makes plants grow, which provides energy to humans in the form of food. Plant matter can also be burned as biomass fuel or, if compressed underground for millions of years, form fossil fuels like coal or oil. The heat from the sun also causes different temperatures on the Earth itself, which produces wind that can power turbines. More energy from the sun falls on the Earth in one hour than all humans consume in one year. Unlike various forms of conventional types of energy like coal, oil, or natural gas, solar energy (sun) is a renewable form of energy (Wang, 2009). Though a variety of technologies have been developed to take advantage of solar energy in recent years, solar power accounts for less than one percent of electricity use in the United States.
However, given the abundance of solar energy and its popular appeal, this resource is likely to play a prominent role in our energy future. Energy from the sun in the form of electromagnetic radiation is the fundamental driver of the earth's climate system. Humans have harnessed solar energy since the beginning of history, as far back as the 5th century, humans were constructing homes and building to maximize energy of the sun (Mc Pherron et al., 1986).
The 11-year cycle of solar activity is characterized by the rise and fall in the numbers and surface area of sunspots (Babcock, 1961). A number of other solar activity indicators also vary in association with the sunspots including; the 10.7 cm radio flux, the total solar irradiance, the magnetic field, solar flares, and coronal mass ejections, geomagnetic activity, galactic cosmic ray fluxes, and radioisotopes in tree rings and ice cores. Individual solar cycles are characterized by their maxima and minima, cycle periods and amplitudes, cycle shape, the equator ward drift of the active latitudes, hemispheric asymmetries, and active longitudes. Solar activity rises and falls with an 11-year cycle that affects modern life in many ways. Increased solar activity includes increases in extreme ultraviolet and X-ray emissions from the Sun that produce dramatic effects in Earth’s upper atmosphere.
The associated atmospheric heating increases both the temperature and density of the atmosphere at many spacecraft altitudes. The increase in atmospheric drag on satellites in low Earth orbit can dramatically shorten the orbital lifetime of these valuable assets (Pulkkinen, 2007). Increases in the number of solar flares and coronal mass ejections (CMEs) raise the likelihood that sensitive instruments in space will be damaged by energetic particles accelerated in these events. These solar energetic particles (SEPs) can also threaten the health of both astronauts in space and airline travelers in high-altitude, polar routes. Solar activity apparently affects terrestrial climate as well. Although the change in the total solar irradiance seems too small to produce significant climatic effects, there is good evidence that, to some extent, the Earth’s climate heats and cools as solar activity rises and falls (Haigh, 2007). There is little doubt that the solar cycle is magnetic in nature and is produced by dynamo processes within the Sun. Although the details concerning, how, when, and where the dynamo processes operate are still uncertain, several basic features of the dynamo are fairly well accepted and provide a framework for understanding the solar cycle. Within the Sun’s interior magnetic fields and the ionized plasma move together. (Any motion of the plasma relative to the magnetic field or vice versa will set up currents that counter those relative displacements) (Charbonneau, 2010). Furthermore, throughout most of the Sun’s interior the plasma pressure exceeds the magnetic pressure and the plasma kinetic energy exceeds the magnetic energy so that the motion of the plasma controls the magnetic field—the magnetic field is transported and transformed by the plasma flows. A notable exception is in sunspots where the magnetic field is strong enough to choke off the convective heat flow—leaving sunspots cooler and darker than their surroundings (Kahler, 2006).
1.1 THE SUN
The sun is a ball of hot-fire in the sky that the earth revolves around and gives us heat and light. It produces energy by converting hydrogen to helium, thereby maintaining a constant internal temperature. Particles emitted by the Sun are being detected on Earth. It is the dominant body of the system, constituting more than 99% of its entire mass (Douglas, 1996).
The Sun is the epicenter of space weather events. It affects the Earth and its environment in a variety of ways and on many different time scales. Space between the Sun and the planets is not empty as was contemplated up to the 1950s. It is filled by tenuous magnetized plasma, which is a mixture of ions and electrons flowing away from the Sun. In fact, the Sun’s outer atmosphere is so hot that not even the Sun’s gravity can prevent it from continuously evaporating. The escaping plasma carries the solar magnetic field along with it (Parker, 1957), out to the boundary of the heliosphere where its dominance finally ends in interstellar space. The Sun is the source of an enormous amount of energy, a portion of which provides Earth with the light and heat necessary to support it.
The Sun exists in the outer part of the Milky Way Galaxy and was formed from a material that had been processed inside a supernova. The Sun is not, as is often said, a small star. Although it falls midway between the biggest and smallest stars of its type, there are so many dwarf stars that the Sun falls in the top 5% of stars in the neighborhood that immediately surrounds it. The energy of the Sun moves from its inner core to the outer regions of its atmosphere. The CORE of the Sun is where energy is first formed. Its temperature is 27 million degrees Fahrenheit. From the core, energy moves outward toward the Sun’s surface and surrounding atmosphere (Schwenn et al., 2005). The sun's composition (by mass) 74%H, 25%He, 1% other elements,( by a number of atoms ) 92.1%H, 7.8%He, 0.1% other elements.
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