The trees are the history of Earth’s bombardment by cosmic radiation.
Radiation can change the nitrogen atoms that it hits to create a form carbon. This is what happens when it hits Earth’s atmosphere. The growth rings of trees and spikes in this carbon Iotope can be linked to provide reliable records of radiation storms that have occurred over thousands of years.
This record shows us the Miyake Events, which are the most monumental of all these events (after the They were discovered by a scientistThey occur about once in a thousand years. However, we don’t know what causes them – and new research suggests that our leading theory, involving giant solar flares, could be off the table.
We have a serious problem because we don’t have a way to accurately predict these potentially catastrophic events.
“We need more information because if one or both of these happens today, it will destroy technology such as satellites, internet cables and long-distance powerlines. “Benjamin Pope, University of Queensland in Australia is an astrophysicist.
“The effects on the global infrastructure would be inconceivable.”
If you’re able to see, the history of Earth’s encounters in cosmic radiation storms can be deciphered. The radioactive isotope carbon-14 is often called radiocarbon. It is the key clue. Radiocarbon is much more rare than other naturally occurring carbon isotopes. Radiocarbon forms in the upper atmosphere only when cosmic radiations collide with nitrogen molecules. This causes a nuclear reaction, which results in radiocarbon being created.
We have a small but constant supply of cosmic rays that rain down on the surface because they are constantly colliding with the atmosphere. Some of the radiation gets trapped in tree rings. Radiocarbon deposition is tracked back through time because trees create a new growth ring each year. This gives us a record over tens to thousands of years of radiation activity.
A significant increase in cosmic radiation is caused by a large spike in radiocarbon in trees all over the globe. Solar flares are one of many possible causes. There are many other potential sources of radiation storms, however, that have not been definitively ruled out. Solar flares have not been conclusively ruled out.
A team of researchers led Qingyuan Zhang, a mathematician at the University of Queensland, set out to reconstruct the global carbon circle based on all the tree ring radiocarbon data available.
“When radiation hits the atmosphere, it produces radioactive Carbon-14. This filters through the air, oceans and plants and creates an annual record in the radiation in tree rings.” Zhang explains.
To gain insight into the nature and scale of the Miyake events, we modeled the global carbon cycles over a period of 10,000 years.
The results of this modeling gave the team an extremely detailed picture of a number of radiation events – enough to conclude that the timing and profile is inconsistent with solar flares. Radiocarbon spikes do not correlate well with sunspot activity which can be linked to flare activity. Some spikes were persistent for several years.
The radiocarbon profiles of different regions were inconsistent for the same event. A major event that occurred in 774 CE saw some trees show sudden and sharp increases in radiocarbon in one year, while others experienced a slow increase over the next two to three-years.
“We are not looking at a single flash of light or instantaneous eruption, but a type of astrophysical’storm or outburst,” Zhang says.
Researchers don’t know what is causing these outbursts at the moment, but they do have a few options. Supernova events are one of them, which is the radiation that can blast across space. One possibility is that there was a supernova. In 774 CEScientists have also made connections between radiocarbon spikes Other possible supernova eventsHowever, we know of supernovae that have no radiocarbon spikes and supernovae that have no connected spikes.
Solar superflares are another possibility, but it is unlikely that a solar flare powerful enough for the 774 CE radiocarbon surge has erupted from the Sun. There may be some previously unknown solar activity. However, it is not clear what causes Miyake-related events.
According to researchers, this is a concern. The human world is in danger. Things have changed dramaticallySince 774 CE; a Miyake Event now could cause what the scientists refer to as an “internet-apocalypse”, where infrastructure gets damaged, affects the health and wellbeing of air travelers, and even depletes them. ozone layer.
“Based on the available data, there’s about a one percent chance to see another one within ten years,” Pope:.
“But, we don’t know what it will do or how it could cause harm. These odds are very alarming, and they provide the foundation for further research.”
The research was published in Proceedings of the Royal Society: Mathematical, Physic, and Engineering Sciences.
