If it becomes especially strong due to an increase in the local electron density, it can cause a total communications blackout. Solar flare ultraviolet and x-ray bursts, solar energetic particles, or intense aurora can all bring on this condition. The deep ionization produced by the solar protons also alters the path taken by the waves reflecting from the ionosphere. Click to see enlarged view. Finally, solar radio bursts can directly interfere with communications in the frequency range between 245 MHz and 2.7 GHz, which is widely used.
Geomagnetic surveys are important tools in the commercial exploration of natural resources.
However, space weather-related perturbations can create signals in survey data that can be mistaken for signatures of subsurface resources. Survey schedules or operations must be modified, often suddenly and with significant cost impact, to avoid this contamination of the survey data. The same disturbance-related changes in Earth's ionosphere that affect communications introduce changes in the time it takes signals to traverse the ionosphere. For example, phase scintillation in the ionosphere can defeat efforts on the part of surveyors who could otherwise use GPS to achieve distance measurements between separated receivers to centimeter accuracy. Hazards to Humans in Space Click to see enlarged view.