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Solar Storm Causes Unprecedented GPS Disruptions
Confirmed
In Short: A severe solar storm in November 2025 led to GPS inaccuracies by over 10 meters, affecting regions farther south than usual, warn scientists.
Scientists have discovered how a solar storm in November 2025 caused unprecedented GPS disruptions, temporarily reducing navigation accuracy by over 10 meters (33 feet) in areas farther south than usual, according to a new study in The Independent.
The storm induced turbulence in the Earth's ionosphere, leading to high-energy electrons colliding with gases in the upper atmosphere over a wide range of longitudes. This phenomenon is particularly concerning for communities relying on GPS for autonomous transportation and precision agriculture.
The research highlights the need for better preparedness, especially in regions where disruptions are not typically expected. Scientists emphasize the importance of understanding the physical processes that control and describe the dynamics of auroral features, such as energy flux and precipitation scale sizes, which contribute to generating these irregularities.
The findings suggest that similar disruptions could spread across larger areas, as demonstrated by the storm's impact on regions as far south as central Florida. This underscores the necessity for global preparedness against potential GPS disruptions caused by solar storms.
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- Numerous studies have shown just how damaging long hours of sedentary behavior can be.
- The research calls for communities at all latitudes to be more prepared for aurora-related GPS disruptions.
- Solar storm led to temporary drop in accuracy of GPS systems by over 10 meters Solar storm led to temporary drop in accuracy of GPS systems by over 10 meters A severe solar storm that struck Earth in November last year caused never-before-seen GPS disruptions that may have led to “significant losses” had they occurred during the American farming season, a new study warns.
- Solar storms can bring dazzling auroras on Earth, which are mostly visible in the sky above the Earth’s North and South poles.
- But sometimes, strong solar storms can trigger dynamic auroras, visible farther across the lower latitudes of northern Europe and America.
- On 11 November, a massive solar flare ejected from an active sunspot region triggered such an aurora, seen as far south as central Florida in the US.
- In the research, scientists combined aurora-camera observations with data from ground-based GPS receiver networks across the US and Canada.
- They mapped electron density in the ionosphere, turbulence in this atmospheric layer, signal fluctuations, and GPS positioning errors during and after the solar storm.