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Space weather hazards and their impact on human cardio-health state parameters on Earth

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Abstract

Recent multi-disciplinary heliobiological and biometeorological researches reveal that the human organism is sensitive to environmental physical activity changes and reacts to them through variations of the physiological parameters of the human body. In this study, electrocardiograms of functionally healthy persons, who were digitally registered at the Laboratory of Heliobiology located in the Medical Centre INAM (Baku, Azerbaijan), were studied in relation to different levels of cosmic ray activity and geomagnetic field disturbances. In total, 1,673 daily digital data of heart rate values and time series of beat-to-beat heart rate intervals (RR intervals) were registered for the time period July 15, 2006–March 31, 2008, which includes the period of December 2006, when intense cosmic ray events and strong geomagnetic disturbances occurred. The statistical significance of the influence of geomagnetic activity levels and cosmic ray intensity variations on heart rate and RR intervals was estimated. Results revealed that heart rate increase and RR intervals variations were more pronounced for high levels of geomagnetic activity and large cosmic ray intensity decreases, whereas very small or even minimum cosmic ray intensity variations did not affect heart rate dynamics. Moreover, heart rate increased on the days before, during and after geomagnetic storms with high intensities and on the days preceding, and following cosmic ray intensity decreases.

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Acknowledgments

We are grateful to Medical Centre INAM (Baku) and personally Doctor E. Kazimov, A. Asgarov and F. Mustafa (ShAO) as well as all participants of heliobiological experiments. World Data Centre for Geomagnetism, Kyoto, Space Weather Prediction Centre at NOAA, Boulder, and the Cosmic Ray Station of the University of Athens are acknowledged for relevant space weather data.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Nuclear and Particle Physics Section, Physics Department, University of Athens, Athens, Greece

    H. Mavromichalaki, M. Papailiou & P. Loucas

  2. Space Research and Technology Institute, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Sofia, Bulgaria

    S. Dimitrova

  3. Shamakhy Astrophysical Observatory named after N. Tusi and Laboratory of Heliobiology, Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences, Baku, The Republic of Azerbaijan

    E. S. Babayev

  4. Science Development Foundation under the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Baku, The Republic of Azerbaijan

    E. S. Babayev

Authors
  1. H. Mavromichalaki
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  2. M. Papailiou
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  3. S. Dimitrova
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  4. E. S. Babayev
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  5. P. Loucas
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Correspondence to H. Mavromichalaki.

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Mavromichalaki, H., Papailiou, M., Dimitrova, S. et al. Space weather hazards and their impact on human cardio-health state parameters on Earth. Nat Hazards 64, 1447–1459 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11069-012-0306-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11069-012-0306-2

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