How Space Weather May Be Killing Sperm Whales

In early 2016 there was an inevitable tidal wave that sadly beached many sperm whales in the North Sea. It was not known why at the time, but recent studies are showing that it could be the same phenomenon that causes the Northern Lights: solar storms.

A solar storm is caused by the collisions between charged particles from the sun and earth's magnetic field, this impact mostly happens at the poles, hence the Northern Lights, but the explanation doesn't stop there. The sun has a habit of spewing more particles than normal, called a coronal mass ejection, and when it hits us is when the solar storm happens.

Now, why would this affect the whales? Easy, they navigate the sea using Earth's magnetic field, which is highly disturbed from these storms. They also mess up GPS devices, electrifying grids, and even knock out birds! This disruption seems to be pulling sperm whales off course, messing with their internal navigation system. This is especially dangerous when the whales migrate to the North and Norwegian seas where water is much shallower, most likely causing them to become disoriented and swim towards shore.

Picture From: smithsonianmag.com

Autopsies done on the beached whales show that they were perfectly healthy and that patterns of solar storms match up on the timeline, but nothing can be said for sure.

Original Article by Sara Chodash found here: https://www.popsci.com/space-weather-killing-sperm-whales