Space weather forecasting is becoming big business

Nature : Just as companies have been tailoring public weather data for private customers like farmers and airlines, new companies are springing up to tailor space weather data for companies that can be affected by solar flares and geomagnetic storms, writes Eric Hand for Nature. Solar activity can alter satellites’ orbits around Earth, increase radiation levels, and cause electrical blackouts by ramping up the current in electricity grids. The Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC) of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is the official source of space weather alerts and warnings for the US. With the Sun approaching its solar maximum next year, third-party forecasters are seizing the opportunity of adding value to the SWPC data by providing specific forecasts for specific businesses. For example, forecasters can predict an electric company’s susceptibility to a particular geomagnetic storm by factoring in the orientation of the company’s power lines, the temperature on the day the storm strikes, and existing demands on the grid. Thus space weather forecasters serve an essential niche. According to former NOAA administrator Conrad Lautenbacher, “You can’t have the SWPC calling every electrical utility in the country every time there is a space weather event.”