NASA scientists now suggest that solar storms may have something to do why marine animals become stranded on beaches and shores.
These cetaceans, or whales, dolphins and porpoises use their internal compasses to navigate the world's oceans during migration. This means that they use their senses to guide them along with the Earth's magnetic field to reach their destination, spanning thousands of miles.
When a severe solar storm hits the planet, these otherwise healthy marine mammals get confused and ultimately become lost. Now scientists are investigating this mystery with a new study, linking solar storms and animal beachings.
When cetaceans get stranded, they do so in groups ranging from three individuals to as many as around 700 members. According to International Fund for Animal Welfare's Animal Rescue Program's Katie Moore, this global event are most prevalent in Australia, New Zealand and Cape Cod in Massachusetts.
According to lead author of the study, heliophysicist Antti Pulkkinen of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, despite beaching events becoming common, there is only very little evidence about what exactly causes them.
Pulkkinen explains, by studying records of hundreds of marine mammal mass strandings, these will be crucial for analyzing statistics and providing new significant insights to identify the cause of these mysterious events.
The team will work with the United States Bureau of Ocean Energy Management and the International Fund for Animal Welfare, to filter cetacean mass stranding reports, space weather data and field observations. This study is expected to be completed this September.
This also marks the first study to investigate if there is an existing link between solar storms and marine mammal beaching events around the world. Moore adds, if we identify and understand the relationship between solar storms and the strandings, we can even devise an early warning for potential events. When this happens around global hotspots, many organizations can respond quickly and prepare better, to save more of these animals.