Novel Insights into the Effects of Space Weather on Human Health (2nd Edition)
A special issue of Atmosphere (ISSN 2073-4433). This special issue belongs to the section "Upper Atmosphere".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 January 2025) | Viewed by 2273
Special Issue Editor
Interests: cosmic rays; Forbush decreases; precursors; space weather; geomagnetic activity; human physiological parameters
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
This Special Issue is a follow-up to the first Special Issue entitled “Novel Insights into the Effects of Space Weather on Human Health” (https://www.mdpi.com/journal/atmosphere/special_issues/QQ3W3C845H) published in Atmosphere in 2023, and will cover all aspects of space weather and human health issues.
The need for a follow-up Special Issue was created not only in order to follow the latest advances and developments on the subject of space weather effects on human health, but also because solar cycle 25, which is already progressing and is currently moving towards the solar maxima, presented increased solar activity. As a consequence, interplanetary conditions were highly disturbed and therefore resulted in the recording of extreme space weather events. In March and May of 2024, two severe geomagnetic storms accompanied by two large Forbush decreases in the galactic cosmic rays were recorded.
More precisely, a G4 geomagnetic storm along with a Forbush decrease was recorded on March 24, 2024. This decrease was registered by the majority of the neutron monitor stations and was characterized as unusual because of its high amplitude decrease phase and the rapid recovery phase. Such an event was last observed on March 24, 1991.
Furthermore, the strongest geomagnetic storm in over two decades (i.e., Halloween Space Weather Storms of 2003) was recorded on May 10-13, 2024. The historic G5 geomagnetic storm was registered in middle latitude stations and was related to a remarkable display of aurora borealis in many areas worldwide. During the recovery phase of a large Forbush decrease, which started on May 10, 2024, a Ground Level Enhancement (GLE74) was also recorded in the polar neutron monitor stations.
Events of such intensity, as is expected, may not only have a significant technological impact (e.g., satellite’s electronics, navigation, telecommunication systems, high-potential power grids, etc.), but also a considerable effect on human health. Whether this effect refers to the radiations doses received by crews and passengers during aviation flights in high altitude or to the human organism’s physiological state and reactions (e.g., physiological parameters, pathological diseases, etc.), it remains crucial and is worth studying.
Space weather is a modern field of science that focuses on the conditions on the Sun, the variations in the Earth’s magnetosphere, geomagnetic activity, cosmic ray intensity variations, and their impact on a wide range of human activities. The various manifestations of space weather can not only influence the performance and reliability of space-borne and ground-based technological systems, but also endanger human health and/or life.
In recent years, several multi-disciplinary heliobiological and biometeorological studies have examined the changes in human physiological responses and the evolution of pathological conditions due to space weather phenomena (e.g., geomagnetic storms, solar energetic particles events, Forbush decreases, etc.).
The effects of solar and geomagnetic activity on human health can be examined through variations of human physiological parameters that can be objectively verified and are obtained directly from an individual (e.g., heart rate, arterial blood pressure, reaction time, etc.). Moreover, epidemiological data are also used in order to depict the spatial and temporal distribution of defined events or health disturbances (e.g., temporal distribution of hospital admission, frequency of myocardial infarction, stroke, cardiac arrhythmias and sudden cardiac death, frequency of traffic or work accidents, etc.). These data are analyzed in retrospective studies and refer to a large number of individuals over a period of several years. Furthermore, the estimation of the ionization and radiation levels during a flight due to the enhanced radiation environment created by solar energetic particle events allows the introduction of health standards for air and space crews.
The purpose of this Special Issue is to gather the most recent and contemporary studies regarding space weather and human health in order to highlight the need to conduct investigations in different latitudinal and longitudinal areas and at different levels of environmental physical activity, as well as to create a foundation for further investigations.
Dr. Maria-Christina Papailiou
Guest Editor
Manuscript Submission Information
Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.
Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Atmosphere is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.
Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.
Keywords
- space weather
- cosmic rays
- geomagnetic storms
- Forbush decreases
- ground level enhancements
- human physiological parameters
- heart rate
- arterial blood pressure
- myocardial infarction
- cardiac arrhythmias
- radiation doses
Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue
- Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
- Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
- Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
- External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
- e-Book format: Special Issues with more than 10 articles can be published as dedicated e-books, ensuring wide and rapid dissemination.
Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.
