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Novel Insights into the Effects of Space Weather on Human...
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Novel Insights into the Effects of Space Weather on Human Health

A special issue of Atmosphere (ISSN 2073-4433). This special issue belongs to the section "Upper Atmosphere".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (10 December 2023) | Viewed by 7218

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Maria-Christina Papailiou

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Athens Cosmic Ray Group, Faculty of Physics, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 15784 Athens, Greece
Interests: cosmic rays; Forbush decreases; precursors; space weather; geomagnetic activity; human physiological parameters

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

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 and 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.

Over the last 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 analysed 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, to highlight the need to conduct investigations in different latitudinal and longitudinal areas and at different levels of environmental physical activity and 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

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

17 pages, 3803 KiB  
Article
Geomagnetic and Cosmic Ray Activity Effect on Heart Rate during the Solar Cycle 24
by Maria-Christina Papailiou, Sofia Ioannidou, Anastasia Tezari and Helen Mavromichalaki
Atmosphere 2024, 15(2), 158; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos15020158 - 25 Jan 2024
Viewed by 2192
Abstract
The number of investigations relevant to the study of geomagnetic activity, solar events, and cosmic rays, i.e., space weather phenomena, and their impact on human health has increased dramatically over the past few years. Numerous studies examine the reaction of the cardiovascular, nervous, [...] Read more.
The number of investigations relevant to the study of geomagnetic activity, solar events, and cosmic rays, i.e., space weather phenomena, and their impact on human health has increased dramatically over the past few years. Numerous studies examine the reaction of the cardiovascular, nervous, and other functional systems to variations observed in geospace. These studies examine the behavior of human physiological parameters not only during different levels of activity of the Sun and in the interplanetary space (from no activity to remarkably intense activity) but also through geomagnetic activity storms and Forbush decreases. Here, individuals from the Hippocratio General Hospital in Athens, the cardiology clinics of Nikaia General Hospital in Piraeus, and the Heraklion University Hospital in Crete, Greece, were assessed during the time period from 2011 until 2018. The heart rate of the individuals was recorded every hour via the Holter electrocardiogram method. Data were analyzed using the analysis of variance (ANOVA) and the method of superimposed epochs. The investigation covers not only the ascending but also the descending phase of the solar cycle 24 (lasting until 2019 and with its maximum in the year 2014). Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Novel Insights into the Effects of Space Weather on Human Health)
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11 pages, 1514 KiB  
Article
Estimation of Radiation Exposure for Various Flights from Athens International Airport
by Anastasia Tezari, Argyris N. Stassinakis, Panagiota Makrantoni, Pavlos Paschalis, Dimitris Alexandridis, Maria Gerontidou, Helen Mavromichalaki, Pantelis Karaiskos, Norma Crosby and Mark Dierckxsens
Atmosphere 2024, 15(2), 149; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos15020149 - 24 Jan 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 741
Abstract
In recent decades, the exposure of aviation crews and passengers to cosmic radiation has been progressively increasing due to the growing need of flights. Therefore, there is a need for radiation assessment software tools to act as a complement to other radiation protection [...] Read more.
In recent decades, the exposure of aviation crews and passengers to cosmic radiation has been progressively increasing due to the growing need of flights. Therefore, there is a need for radiation assessment software tools to act as a complement to other radiation protection techniques and countermeasures. In this work, the exposure to cosmic radiation is estimated for flights from Athens International Airport to various international destinations, by performing Monte Carlo simulations with the validated tool DYASTIMA/DYASTIMA-R. The results of the estimated total ambient dose equivalent, as well as the ambient dose equivalent rate for different flights, applying a typical flying level and constant atmospheric conditions, are presented for the first time. This study is carried out for different phases of solar activity for the time period from 1996 to 2019, which includes the two recent Solar Cycles 23 and 24. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Novel Insights into the Effects of Space Weather on Human Health)
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18 pages, 1585 KiB  
Article
Long-Term Study of the Synchronization Effect between Geomagnetic Field Variations and Minute-Scale Heart-Rate Oscillations in Healthy People
by Tatiana A. Zenchenko, Natalia I. Khorseva and Tamara K. Breus
Atmosphere 2024, 15(1), 134; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos15010134 - 22 Jan 2024
Viewed by 1408
Abstract
This study aimed to investigate the effect of human heart-rate synchronization with variations in the geomagnetic field (GMF) (“biogeophysical synchronization effect”). We analyzed 403 electrocardiogram (ECG) recordings of 100 or 120 min that were obtained in 2012–2023 from two middle-aged female volunteers in [...] Read more.
This study aimed to investigate the effect of human heart-rate synchronization with variations in the geomagnetic field (GMF) (“biogeophysical synchronization effect”). We analyzed 403 electrocardiogram (ECG) recordings of 100 or 120 min that were obtained in 2012–2023 from two middle-aged female volunteers in good health. The minute-value series of the GMF vector from the INTERMAGNET network was used. Each ECG recording was individually examined using cross-correlation and wavelet analysis. The findings from two separate experimental sets (306 recordings from Volunteer A and 97 from Volunteer B) displayed notable similarity in all aspects analyzed: (1) For both participants, the biogeophysical synchronization effect is observed in 40–53% of the recordings as a statistically significant (p < 0.0045) correlation between minute heart-rate (HR) time-series values and at least one of the horizontal components of the GMF, with a time shift between values of [−5, +5] min. (2) Wavelet analysis indicates that the spectra of the HR series and at least one GMF component exhibit similarity in 58–61% of cases. (3) The synchronization is most evident within the period range between 8–13 min. The probability of the synchronization effect manifestation was independent of the geomagnetic activity (GMA) level, which was recorded during the observations. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Novel Insights into the Effects of Space Weather on Human Health)
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13 pages, 4097 KiB  
Article
A Method for the Ambient Equivalent Dose Estimation in a Wide Range of Altitudes during SEP and GLE Events
by Eugene Maurchev, Nataly Shlyk, Maria Abunina, Artem Abunin, Anatoly Belov and Kseniia Didenko
Atmosphere 2024, 15(1), 92; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos15010092 - 10 Jan 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 601
Abstract
The paper considers the modeling of proton transport through the Earth’s atmosphere during several SEP events (12 August 1989, 23 March 1991, and 8 November 2000), as well as during the GLE73 event. Solar sources and interplanetary medium conditions during these events are [...] Read more.
The paper considers the modeling of proton transport through the Earth’s atmosphere during several SEP events (12 August 1989, 23 March 1991, and 8 November 2000), as well as during the GLE73 event. Solar sources and interplanetary medium conditions during these events are described in detail. Calculations are carried out using own model implemented with GEANT4. As the main results, quantitative estimates of the calculated ambient dose equivalent for altitudes in a wide range (also including civil aircraft flight altitudes of 10–11 km) for the geomagnetic cutoff rigidity values Rc = 0.13 GV are given. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Novel Insights into the Effects of Space Weather on Human Health)
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10 pages, 639 KiB  
Article
High Heart Rate Variability Causes Better Adaptation to the Impact of Geomagnetic Storms
by Aleksandre Ramishvili, Ketevan Janashia and Levan Tvildiani
Atmosphere 2023, 14(12), 1707; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos14121707 - 21 Nov 2023
Viewed by 1714
Abstract
Our study aimed to test whether specific sensitive reactions in healthy males to the changes in geomagnetic activity (GMA) are different depending on the baseline self-regulation of the autonomic nervous system (ANS). In this study, the ANS response in the different phases of [...] Read more.
Our study aimed to test whether specific sensitive reactions in healthy males to the changes in geomagnetic activity (GMA) are different depending on the baseline self-regulation of the autonomic nervous system (ANS). In this study, the ANS response in the different phases of geomagnetic storms (GMSs) has been measured via the heart rate variability (HRV) using one-way ANOVA and the Bonferroni-adjusted t-test. In the case of high HRV, changes were found to indicate a significant intensification of both parts of the ANS: the sympathetic part (SP) showed increased stress levels and the parasympathetic part (PP) marked a self-regulation effort in the main and restoration phases of GMSs. In the case of low HRV, changes indicate a significant enhancement in the SP after the main phase of GMSs, with a day’s delay. GMA is a sufficient environmental factor for healthy males, causing stress reactions of the ANS in the main and restoration phases of GMSs. However, the different self-regulation of the ANS results in different dynamics in its variation depending on the individual’s character of the baseline ANS state; the optimal adaptation reactions of healthy males with baseline high HRV are achieved with decreased heart rate and increased HRV in the main phase of GMSs. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Novel Insights into the Effects of Space Weather on Human Health)
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