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The possibility that conditions on the Sun and in the Earth’s magnetosphere can affect human health at the Earth’s surface has been debated for many decades. This work reviews the research undertaken in the field of heliobiology, focusing on the effect of variations of geomagnetic activity on human cardiovascular health. Data from previous research...
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... study performed by Stoupel et al. (1995) discussed in the previous section also investigated the relationship between suicide and geomagnetic activity param- eters. All suicides registered in the state of Israel (N = 2,359) for a 108-month period between 1980 and 1989 were analysed and compared with the total number of deaths (15,601) and deaths from MI (1,573) in a large university hospital over a period of 180 months (1974)(1975)(1976)(1977)(1978)(1979)(1980)(1981)(1982)(1983)(1984)(1985)(1986)(1987)(1988)(1989). The monthly suicide rate was significantly correlated with geomagnetic activity (r = -0.22, ...
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... the Earth's surface and the ionosphere ( Schumann 1952). The so-called Schumann Resonance (SR) signals are electromagnetic resonances of the global Earth-ionosphere (quasi) spherical-shell cavity ( Barr et al. 2000). These res- onances are excited by global lightning activity and are measured in the lower ELF band between 5 and 60 Hz, as shown in Fig. 5. Schumann showed that the resonance frequencies are given by an equation of the form f n ¼ 7:49ðnðn þ 1ÞÞ ...
Citations
... Столь же комплексной и междисциплинарной научной проблемой является система связей «геосфера-биосфера», поскольку практически все перечисленные выше физические факторы не только взаимосвязаны, но и влияют тем или иным образом на биологические объекты (в частности, и на человека). В одних случаях это влияние носит угрожающий характер, как в случае волн жары или холода ( [4][5][6] и списки литературы в этих работах) или глобальных возмущений геомагнитного поля (ГМП) ( [7][8][9][10][11] и списки литературы в этих работах). В других случаях влияние внешних факторов проявляется как изменение функционального состояния человека без срыва организма в заболевание или внезапную смерть [12]. ...
Ongoing research continues to explore the phenomenology of the effect of synchronization between oscillations of a human resting heart rate and variations of the geomagnetic field in the period range 3–40 minutes. A total of 508 experiments have been conducted for the period 2012–2023 (each experiment lasted 100–120 minutes) to monitor the minute indicators of heart rate for three healthy women (55, 45, and 30 years old). 328, 113, and 67 measurements were made, respectively. The results indicate that, for each of these three volunteers, approximately 60% of the experiments yielded a wavelet spectrum of heart rate values that closely resembled the spectrum of synchronous variations of at least one of the horizontal components of the geomagnetic field (X or Y). Additionally, within the investigated frequency range of 3–40 minutes, three subbands were identified and in these sub-bands, the degree of synchrony of oscillations was maximal: 3.5 minutes, 10–12 minutes and 33–36 minutes. It can be concluded that the effect of biogeosynchronization is not uniformly implemented over the entire range from 3 to 40 minutes, but it is mainly evident in these sub-bands.
... Da mesma forma, a primeira representação espectral das SR apresentada por Balser e Wagner (1960), foram pioneiros, e suas técnicas nos permite até hoje a identificação das frequências de SR, por meio do comportamento diurno. Esse comportamento é um indicador fundamental das condições eletromagnéticas na ionosfera, possibilitando a correlação entre os efeitos e índices geomagnéticos com dados epidemiológicos, que pode auxiliar na identificação de possíveis padrões que influenciem a saúde pública (PALMER et al., 2006;PRICE et al. 2021). ...
Este estudo analisa a relação entre as frequências de Ressonância Schumann (RS) e as taxas de mortalidade por infarto agudo do miocárdio (IAM) no Sul (S) e Nordeste (NE) do Brasil, utilizando dados geomagnéticos coletados entre 1996 a 2022 das estações de São Luís (SLZ) e São Martinho da Serra (SMS). A Transformada Discreta de Fourier (DFT) foi aplicada para identificar as frequências de RS, enquanto uma análise de cluster agrupou os estados em três padrões distintos. A região Sul mostrou maior correlação com as frequências de RS, devido à proximidade com a Anomalia Magnética do Atlântico Sul (AMAS), onde o campo magnético é mais fraco, amplificando os impactos geomagnéticos na saúde cardiovascular. Já no Nordeste, as associações foram menos consistentes, possivelmente influenciadas por fatores locais. Os resultados ressaltam a importância de considerar variações geomagnéticas na análise de riscos à saúde, sugerindo implicações relevantes para a saúde pública em regiões expostas.
... Peaks of Covid-19 incidence and mortality in the northern hemisphere occurred not only in every winter [42] (consistent with a reduction of infrared light which is anti-inflammatory [9] and with the seasonal weakening of the geomagnetic field as proposed earlier [34]), but also during every prolonged period of geomagnetic disturbances [42]. Moreover, Covid-19 incidence and mortality was higher with increasing latitudes away from the Equator [68], consistent with the notion that disturbances of the earth's electromagnetic fields affect human health more at high latitudes in the northern and southern hemispheres [69]. While countries at higher latitudes experience colder and drier conditions that are believed to favor viral spread, variations in natural electromagnetic fields may also be involved in this process. ...
... While these subtle solar phenomena likely affect all life forms, they may produce observable symptoms of rhythm disruption only in a fraction of individuals at any time. For instance, it was estimated that solar storms affect 10-15% of individuals (i.e., mainly old and diseased) and that people at high and low latitudes closer to the poles are more affected [69]. Indeed, psychiatric hospital admissions, epileptic seizures, and mental health events are positively correlated with geomagnetic storms [86,87]. ...
... It is interesting to consider that magnetotactic bacteria can be influenced by natural oscillating magnetic fields combined with the static geomagnetic field. However, the amplitudes of those natural oscillating magnetic fields are too small when compared to the amplitude of the geomagnetic field (Palmer, Rycroft, and Cermack, 2006), and do not satisfy the condition showed in Eq. 1b. The results shown here can be observed only in laboratory and help us to understand the participation of intracellular ions in the bacterial movement. ...
Magnetotactic bacteria are microorganisms that swim following the geomagnetic field lines, because of an intracellular magnetic moment that aligns their body to the magnetic field lines. For that reason, these bacteria are appropriate for the study of microorganisms’ motion. The present paper studies the swimming trajectories of uncultured magnetotactic cocci under the effect of combined constant (DC) and alternating (AC) magnetic fields oscillating at frequencies that formally correspond to the cyclotron frequency for Ca2+, K+, Fe2+ and Fe3+ ions. The swimming trajectories were observed to be cylindrical helixes and their helix radiuses, frequencies, axial velocities and orientation angles of the trajectories relative to the constant magnetic field were determined. The orientation angles were used to calculate the magnetic to thermal energy ratio, which helps the study of the disorientating effect of the flagellar motion. Our results show that combined magnetic fields tuned to the resonance of Ca2+ ions affect all the trajectory parameters. Frequencies associated to Ca2+ and K+ do not affect the bacterial swimming direction relative to the magnetic field direction. On the other hand, frequencies associated to Fe2+ and Fe3+ do change the bacterial swimming direction relative to the magnetic field direction, which means that those frequencies affect the flagellar function. These results show indirect evidence of the action of calcium binding proteins in the motility of magnetotactic cocci.
... These activities interact with the magnetic field and plasma of the Sun, and they exhibit periodic or quasiperiodic variations, such as the 11 yr Schwabe cycle, 22 yr Hale cycle, and so on (Moussas et al. 2005;Jin et al. 2011;Hathaway 2015). The periodic variations of solar activity can impact Earth's ionosphere and geomagnetic field, potentially causing geomagnetic storms and satellite communication disruptions (Gorney 1990;Palmer et al. 2006;Kutiev et al. 2013;Pesnell 2020). Therefore, accurate prediction of an ongoing solar cycle and the future solar cycle(s) can mitigate the negative effects of solar activity (Jiang et al. 2018Bhowmik et al. 2023;Chen 2023;Jaswal et al. 2024). ...
Forecasting the amplitude and timing of the sunspot cycle is highly important for solar physics and space weather applications, but high-precision prediction of solar magnetic activity has remained an outstanding challenge. The Informer model, as the most advanced deep learning technique, is an ideal approach for predicting solar activity cycle. Using the whole-disk sunspot numbers (SSNs) between 1749 and 2023 and the hemispheric SSNs between 1992 and 2023, the amplitudes and timings of Solar Cycles 25 and 26 are predicted by the Informer model. The main results are the following: (1) the activity levels of Solar Cycles 25 and 26 continue being weak-moderate cycles with their strengths stronger than Solar Cycle 24, implying that the long-term solar variability is significantly modulated in length and magnitude by the Gleissberg century cycle; (2) the Gnevyshev peaks of Solar Cycles 25 and 26 are clearly observed with a higher value in the second peak, suggesting that the numbers of the large sunspot groups are greater compared to the small sunspot groups in these two cycles; and (3) during Solar Cycle 25, the activity level in the southern hemisphere is predicted to be stronger than that in the northern one, revealing significant asymmetry and asynchronization between the two hemispheres. Our analysis results show that solar cycle predictions can be made more accurate if performed separately for each hemisphere. Furthermore, Solar Cycles 25 and 26 are likely to be weak-moderate cycles, in agreement with the precursor-based and model-based prediction methods.
... Subsequently, the results of research in the eld of heliobiology indicated a connection between living organisms and changes in geomagnetic and solar activity (Mavromichalaki et al. 2021;Khabarova 2002;Lipa et al. 1976;Ulmer 2002;Dimitrova 2006). The mechanism of action is generally believed to be a trigger -it is believed that the reaction of biological objects causes a sharp jump in the magnetic eld during the explosive phase of a magnetic storm (Palmer et al. 2006; Zilli Vieira et al. 2019). As a result, the main attention of researchers of solar-biosphere relations is currently focused on studying the effect of strong disturbances of the geomagnetic eld -magnetic storms on human life. ...
The concept of planetary boundaries defines nine areas mostly affected on Earth health. One of these areas connected with the ozone layer state is responsible for ultraviolet (UV) flow reaching Earth’s surface. There is a close relationship between solar activity and geomagnetic indices and changes in polar ozone under the influence of solar radiation. This work discusses the relationship between the geomagnetic index A p , the total ozone content as secondary indicators of solar activity, and the incidence of COVID around the world for the period from January 1, 2020, to May 1, 2021, when there were the first and second waves of the incidence of the virus. Obtained comparative analysis of geomagnetic index Ap and TO in the last solar cycle reveals that geophysical variations can foster favorable conditions for pandemics. The 25th solar cycle's peak in 2024 aligns with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, consistent with previous research. Increased GCR and UV radiation during solar cycle minima further influence Earth's conditions. The pandemic coincided with heightened solar activity after the 24th cycle's minimum and the secular maximum of GCR. Geomagnetic disturbances and reduced TO levels in both hemispheres exacerbated the COVID-19 waves, accelerating case development.
... Even though no significant HR variation is observed for levels I and II, for level I0, i.e., quiet period, HR varies during the event. This agrees with results claiming that small or even the absence of geomagnetic field variations may affect human health [53,54]. From the maximum value on day -3 before For women, results are shown in Figure 5b. ...
... Even though no significant HR variation is observed for levels I and II, for level I0, i.e., quiet period, HR varies during the event. This agrees with results claiming that small or even the absence of geomagnetic field variations may affect human health [53,54]. From the maximum value on day −3 before the event, HR decreases to the minimum value on day 0 and increases until day +2 after the event. ...
... Possible mechanisms on how heliogeophysical processes could directly or indirectly affect human physiology and health is a challenging subject that raises discussion. However, mechanisms mostly related to melatonin and the Schumann resonance have been proposed [53,[63][64][65][66]. ...
The effects of solar activity and the accompanying space weather events on human pathological conditions, physiological parameters and other psycho-physiological disturbances have been analyzed in numerous recent investigations. Moreover, many of these studies have particularly focused on the different physical reactions humans have, according to their sex, during variations in the physical environment. In the framework of the above, this work analyses heart rate data obtained from volunteers (687 men and 534 women) from three different regions (Athens, Piraeus and Heraklion) of Greece in relation to the geophysical activity and variations of environmental factors. Dst index and Ap index data, along with cosmic ray intensity data derived from the Athens Neutron Monitor Station (A.Ne.Mo.S.), were used. The study expands from April 2011 to January 2018, covering solar cycle 24. The ANalysis Of Variance (ANOVA) and the superimposed epochs methods were used in order to examine heart rate variations depending on sex. Results revealed that women tend to be more sensitive to physical environmental changes. Statistically significant results are related to the geomagnetic activity but were not obtained for cosmic ray variations.
... These signals can engage the pineal gland, which secretes melatonin, a key regulator of the body's circadian rhythm (Leonidov, 2020). Studies have documented circadian rhythm-related changes in cardiac activity in rabbits during geomagnetic storms, suggesting that geomagnetic activity may also impact the circadian rhythm via a non-photic effect (Palmer, Rycroft,and Cermack, 2006). Consequent changes in melatonin production and the circadian rhythm can incur potential adverse health effects, including impacts on cognitive function. ...
Background
Studies show that changes in solar and geomagnetic activity (SGA) influence melatonin secretion and the autonomic nervous system. We evaluated associations between solar and geomagnetic activity and Cognitive function in the Normative Aging Study from 1992 to 2013.
Methods
We used logistic and linear generalized estimating equations and regressions to evaluate the associations between moving averages of sunspot number (SSN) and Kp index (a measure of geomagnetic activity) and a binary measure for Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) scores (≤25 or > 25) and six other cognitive tests as continuous measures, combined into one global composite score and considered separately.
Results
A one-IQR increase in same-day SSN and Kp index were associated with 17% (95% CI: 3%, 34%) and 19% (95% CI: 4%, 36%) increases in the odds of low MMSE score. We observed small increases in the global cognitive score with increasing SSN, although we observed decreases specifically in relation to the backwards digit span test.
Conclusions
Periods of high SGA were associated with cognitive function. SGA may not equally impact all aspects of cognitive function, as evidenced by differences in associations observed for the MMSE, global cognitive score, and individual cognitive tests. Given that much of the pathology of cognitive decline in the elderly remains unexplained, studies specifically targeting decline and with longer follow-up periods are warranted.
... Both ICMEs and CIRs are drivers of geomagnetic storms. Furthermore, Solar activity (ICMEs and CIRs) causes various types of physical processes in Earth's magnetosphere [13][14][15][16], ionosphere [17,18], atmosphere [4,19,20], lithosphere [21][22][23], biosphere [24][25][26][27] and technosphere [28][29][30]. ...
In a recent paper, we extended a previous study on the solar solar influence to the generation of the March 2012 heatwave in the northeastern USA. In the present study we check the possible relationship of solar activity with the early March 2012 bad weather in northeast Thrace, Greece. To this end, we examined data from various remote sensing instrumentation monitoring the Sun (SDO satellite), Interplanetary space (ACE satellite), the Earth’s magnetosphere (Earth-based measurements, NOAA-19 satellite), the top of the clouds (Terra and Aqua satellites), and the near ground atmosphere. Our comparative data analysis suggests that: (i) the winter-like weather (rainfall, fast winds, decreased temperature) in Thrace started on 6 March 2012, the same day as the heatwave started in USA, (ii) during the March 2012 winter-like event in Thrace (6–15 March), the ACE satellite recorded enhanced fluxes of solar energetic particles (SEPs), while SOHO and PAMELA recorded solar protons at very high energies (>500 MeV), (iii) Between 3–31 March, the temperature in Alexandoupoli and the ACE/EPAM solar high energy (1.88–4.70 MeV) proton flux were strongly anticorelated (r = −0.75, p = 0.5). (iv) Thrace experienced particularly intense cyclonic circulation, during periods of magnetic storms on 8–10 and 12–13 March, which occurred after the arrival at ACE of two interplanetary shock waves, on March 8 and March 11, respectively, (v) at the beginning of the two above mentioned periods large atmospheric electric fields were recorded, with values ranging between ~−2000 V/m and ~1800 V/m on 8 March, (vi) the winter-like weather on 8–10 March 2012 occurred after the detection of the main SEP event related with a coronal mass ejection released in interplanetary space as a result of intense solar flare activity observed by SDO on 7 March 2012, (vi) the 8–10 March weather was related with a deep drop of ~63 °C in the cloud top temperature measured by MODIS/Terra, which favors strong precipitation. Finally, we analyzed data from the electric power network in Thrace (~41°N) and we found, for the first time sudden voltage changes of ~3.5 kV in the electric grid in Greece, during the decay phase of the March 2012 storm series. We discuss the winter-like March 2012 event in Thrace regarding the influence of solar cosmic rays on the low troposphere mediated by positive North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO). Finally, we infer that the novel finding of the geomagnetic effects on the electric power grid in Thrace may open a new window into space weather applications research.
... Consequently, Level I0 was established. It is important to include these very low levels of GMA in the study, since it is mentioned that minor or even no variations in the geomagnetic field can have consequences for the physiological state of human health [26,27]. The same classification (Levels: I0, I, II, III, IV) was performed for the Ap index, as shown in Table 1. ...
... As expected, the effect that each of these parameters may have on human health differs, and separating these effects is a difficult problem to solve. That is why [26] proposed direct and indirect indicators, so as to help differentiate the effect of physical activity on human health. ...
... On the other hand, epidemiological data that refer to, e.g., the temporal distribution of hospital admission, the frequency of traffic or work accidents, the spatial and temporal distribution of defined events, etc., are defined as indirect indicators. These data mainly refer to a significant number of measurements over a wide period of time that are analyzed in retrospective studies [26]. ...
The number of investigations relevant to the study of geomagnetic activity, solar events, and cosmic rays, i.e., space weather phenomena, and their impact on human health has increased dramatically over the past few years. Numerous studies examine the reaction of the cardiovascular, nervous, and other functional systems to variations observed in geospace. These studies examine the behavior of human physiological parameters not only during different levels of activity of the Sun and in the interplanetary space (from no activity to remarkably intense activity) but also through geomagnetic activity storms and Forbush decreases. Here, individuals from the Hippocratio General Hospital in Athens, the cardiology clinics of Nikaia General Hospital in Piraeus, and the Heraklion University Hospital in Crete, Greece, were assessed during the time period from 2011 until 2018. The heart rate of the individuals was recorded every hour via the Holter electrocardiogram method. Data were analyzed using the analysis of variance (ANOVA) and the method of superimposed epochs. The investigation covers not only the ascending but also the descending phase of the solar cycle 24 (lasting until 2019 and with its maximum in the year 2014).
