Space weather – solar activity and solar wind in the magnetosphere, ionosphere and thermosphere – can affect space- and ground-based technology’s performance and reliability.
The sun goes through a periodic rise and fall in activity and solar cycles vary in length from 9 to 14 years. Solar maximum is that period in the cycle when solar activity is at its height. Recent forecasts predict that the next solar maximum could take place in the second half of 2013.
Disturbed ionosphere currents during geomagnetic storms can cause considerable communication and navigation problems for aviation, but there are measures that can be taken to reduce the risk of infrastructure failure caused by geomagnetic disturbances.
Eurocontrol release
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