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Schumann Resonances, a plausible biophysical mechanism for the human health effects of Solar

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  • Neil Cherry

Abstract

A large number of studies have identified significant physical, biological and health effects associated with changes in Solar and Geomagnetic Activity (S-GMA). Variations in solar activity, geomagnetic activity and ionospheric ion/electron concentrations are all mutually highly correlated and strongly linked by geophysical processes. A key scientific question is, what factor is it in the natural environment that causes the observed biological and physical effects? The effects include altered blood pressure and melatonin, increased cancer, reproductive, cardiac and neurological disease and death. Many occupational studies have found that exposure to ELF fields between 16.7 Hz and 50/60 Hz significantly reduces melatonin levels. They are also associated with the same and very similar health effects as the S-GMA effects. The cell membrane has an electric field of the order of 10 5 V/cm. The ELF brain waves operate at about 10 -1 V/cm. Fish, birds, animalsand people have been shown to respond to ELF signals that produce tissue electric gradients of ULF/ELF oscillating signals at a threshold of 10 -7 to 10 -8 V/cm.This involves non-linear resonant absorption of ULF/ELF oscillating signals into systems that use natural ion oscillation signals in the same frequency range. A long-lived, globally available natural ULF/ELF signal, the Schumann Resonance signal, was investigated as the possible plausible biophysical mechanism for the observedS-GMA effects. It is found that the Schumann Resonance signal is extremely highly correlated with S-GMA indices of sunspot number and the Kp index. The physical mechanism is the ionospheric D-region ion/electron density that varies with S-GMA and forms the upper boundary of the resonant cavity in which the Schumann Resonance signal is formed. This provides strong support for identifying the Schumann Resonance signals as the S-GMA biophysical mechanism, primarily through a melatonin mechanism. It strongly supports the classification of S-GMA as a natural hazard. Copyright Kluwer Academic Publishers 2002

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  • Neil Cherry, 2002. "Schumann Resonances, a plausible biophysical mechanism for the human health effects of Solar," Natural Hazards: Journal of the International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, Springer;International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, vol. 26(3), pages 279-331, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:nathaz:v:26:y:2002:i:3:p:279-331
    DOI: 10.1023/A:1015637127504
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    1. Ralf Schneggenburger & Erwin Neher, 2000. "Intracellular calcium dependence of transmitter release rates at a fast central synapse," Nature, Nature, vol. 406(6798), pages 889-893, August.
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    Cited by:

    1. Tsutomu Nishimura & I-Ju Tsai & Hiroyuki Yamauchi & Eiji Nakatani & Masanori Fukushima & Chung Y. Hsu, 2020. "Association of Geomagnetic Disturbances and Suicide Attempts in Taiwan, 1997–2013: A Cross-Sectional Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(4), pages 1-9, February.
    2. Richard Mackey, 2009. "The Sun's Role in Regulating the Earth's Climate Dynamics," Energy & Environment, , vol. 20(1), pages 25-73, January.
    3. Neil Cherry, 2003. "Schumann Resonance and Sunspot Relations to Human Health Effects in Thailand," Natural Hazards: Journal of the International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, Springer;International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, vol. 29(1), pages 1-11, May.
    4. Kristoufek, Ladislav, 2018. "Does solar activity affect human happiness?," Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications, Elsevier, vol. 493(C), pages 47-53.
    5. Germaine Cornelissen Guillaume & Denis Gubin & Larry A Beaty & Kuniaki Otsuka, 2020. "Some Near- and Far-Environmental Effects on Human Health and Disease with a Focus on the Cardiovascular System," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(9), pages 1-16, April.
    6. Francisco Glaria & Israel Arnedo & Ana Sánchez-Ostiz, 2018. "Advances in Residential Design Related to the Influence of Geomagnetism," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 15(2), pages 1-26, February.
    7. J. Vencloviene & R. Babarskiene & R. Slapikas, 2013. "The association between solar particle events, geomagnetic storms, and hospital admissions for myocardial infarction," Natural Hazards: Journal of the International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, Springer;International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, vol. 65(1), pages 1-12, January.
    8. Michael Persinger, 2014. "Infrasound, human health, and adaptation: an integrative overview of recondite hazards in a complex environment," Natural Hazards: Journal of the International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, Springer;International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, vol. 70(1), pages 501-525, January.
    9. O. Shumilov & E. Kasatkina & T. Novikova & M.-L. Sutinen & A. Chramov & A. Enykeev, 2014. "Natural and man-made influences on suicides in northwestern Russia," Natural Hazards: Journal of the International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, Springer;International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, vol. 73(2), pages 439-448, September.
    10. Rollin McCraty & Mike Atkinson & Viktor Stolc & Abdullah A. Alabdulgader & Alfonsas Vainoras & Minvydas Ragulskis, 2017. "Synchronization of Human Autonomic Nervous System Rhythms with Geomagnetic Activity in Human Subjects," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 14(7), pages 1-18, July.

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