The prominence eruption is an important event associated with the space weather which can affect the lives of people significantly. The eruption documented by the NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory in 2012 is a vivid example of the coronal mass ejection which can lead to irreversible negative effects on the Earth while depending on the powerfulness of the ejection (“Giant Prominence Erupts” par. 2). The picture and video are helpful to think about the released energy and magnetic effects for the Earth. If the coronal mass ejection is observed recently and it ejects the plasma and giant magnetic cloud, the next stage of the process is the super solar storm which destroys the Earth’s magnetic field.
In this situation, New York City is one of the most vulnerable megalopolises which can suffer from the results of the storm significantly because the destruction of the Earth’s magnetic field is closely associated with the destruction of the megalopolis’s electric system (“Homeland Security Takes on the Carrington Event” par. 4). While being in New York City during the giant solar storm, it is possible to see a lot of auroras in the sky all around. During several hours, the sky is expected to be very bright and colorful. The light of the night sky can be so bright that it is possible to read during this time of the day (“Space Weather” par. 2).
The sky can be colored in bright red, green, blue, and purple tones which shine and change each other. These auroras are typically very brilliant, as it is documented by witnesses and researchers (“Space Weather” par. 2). Thus, during the day of the solar storm, many people in New York City can see beautiful auroras lasting for several hours.
However, the auroras are the signals that the city life can be affected significantly because the Earth’s magnetosphere which protects the planet from the negative effects of the solar activity can be destroyed by the coronal mass ejection. Depending on the power of the ejection, the Earth’s magnetic field can be affected by the magnetic storm significantly. Any problems associated with the Earth’s magnetic field cause problems with the electric systems. The next stage is the power outages because of the impossibility of the electric system to work effectively. This situation leads to the electric power systems collapse.
The problems with the city’s electric power systems can have negative effects on all the spheres of people’s life. Communication and information technologies, as well as transportation systems, are expected to fail. Furthermore, the corrosion of gas pipelines is also expected (“Homeland Security Takes on the Carrington Event” par. 5). As a result, the life of the whole city can be stopped because of the problems with energy and electric systems.
All the people in New York City can become locked in it because of impossibility to use transport and communications technologies. Thus, it will be necessary to refer to the traditional ways of receiving energy. While speaking about the possibility to return home for those persons from other cities, it is important to note that the procedures to cope with the problems in electric and transportation systems can be realized during several days or weeks. All the transportation operations become problematic for several weeks because of the necessity to repair the whole transportation system adequately.
Works Cited
Giant Prominence Erupts. 2012. Web.
Homeland Security Takes on the Carrington Event. 2012. Web.
Space Weather. n.d. Web.