Professor Huixin Liu Fukuoka, Japan\u2014Researchers at Kyushu University have found that rising CO\u2082 levels in our atmosphere could lead to future disruptions in shortwave radio communications, including systems used for air traffic control, maritime communication, and radio broadcasting.<\/p>\n While we know that increasing CO\u2082 levels in our atmosphere causes global warming at Earth’s surface, something different is happening in the ionosphere located 100 km above sea level. Up there, it\u2019s cooling.<\/p>\n \u201cThis cooling doesn\u2019t mean it is all good. It decreases the air density in the ionosphere and accelerates wind circulation,\u201d explains Professor Huixin Liu of Kyushu University\u2019s Faculty of Science, who led the study published in Geophysical Research Letters. \u201cThese changes affect the orbits and lifespan of satellites and space debris and also disrupt radio communications through localized small-scale plasma irregularities.\u201d<\/p>\n One such irregularity is known as \u2018sporadic-E’ or \u2018Es,\u2019 a phenomenon where a dense layer of metal ions forms at an altitude of 90 to 120 km.<\/p>\n \u201cAs the name suggests, Es are sporadic and difficult to predict. However, when they occur, they can disrupt HF and VHF radio communications,\u201d continues Liu. \u201cOur results revealed that, at high CO\u2082 levels, Es tend to become stronger, occur at lower altitudes, and persist longer at night.\u201d<\/p>\n Using a whole-atmosphere model, Liu and her team developed simulations of the upper atmosphere under two different CO\u2082 concentrations: at normal concentrations of 315 ppm, and then at 667 ppm (the average atmospheric CO\u2082 level in 2024 was 422.8 ppm). They then evaluated changes in vertical ion convergence (VIC), which drives Es.<\/p>\n Their simulations revealed that, at higher atmospheric CO\u2082 levels, VIC is enhanced globally at altitudes of 100-120 km; the Es hotspots shift downward by approximately 5 km; and their diurnal patterns change. Further investigation revealed that these changes were caused by lower atmospheric density and wind disturbances.<\/p>\n \u201cThese findings are the first of its kind to show how increasing CO\u2082 affects the occurrence of Es, revealing new insight into cross-scale coupling processes between neutral air and ionosphere plasma. In other words, they show how global climate-driven changes can impact small-scale plasma phenomena in space,\u201d explains Liu. \u201cConsidering our findings, the telecommunications industry will need to develop a long-term vision that accounts for the impacts of global warming and climate change in their future operations. Global warming affects not just the Earth but extends well into space.\u201d <\/p>\n Huixin Liu,Professor<\/a>
\nFaculty of Sciences<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\nResearch-related inquiries<\/h4>\n
\nFaculty of Science<\/a>
\nContact information can also be found in the full release<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Higher CO\u2082 concentrations in the atmosphere increase the strength of sporadic-E and lower the altitude at which it occurs Professor Huixin Liu Faculty of Sciences Fukuoka, Japan\u2014Researchers at Kyushu University have found that rising CO\u2082 levels in our atmosphere could lead to future disruptions in shortwave radio communications, including systems used for air traffic control, […]","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[29,33],"tags":[43],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sdgs.kyushu-u.ac.jp\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28186"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sdgs.kyushu-u.ac.jp\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sdgs.kyushu-u.ac.jp\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sdgs.kyushu-u.ac.jp\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sdgs.kyushu-u.ac.jp\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=28186"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/sdgs.kyushu-u.ac.jp\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28186\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":28281,"href":"https:\/\/sdgs.kyushu-u.ac.jp\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28186\/revisions\/28281"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sdgs.kyushu-u.ac.jp\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=28186"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sdgs.kyushu-u.ac.jp\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=28186"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sdgs.kyushu-u.ac.jp\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=28186"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}