SPACE GEOMAGNETISM, RADIATION BELTS, AND AURORAL ZONES

Abstract : The nature of the geomagnetic field and a few variation from ground level out to about 10 earth radii is discussed. Regions of trapped radiation are noted. The unshielded dosages during a great solar event on a few days per decade exceed limits of human safety. Modest shielding of somewhat less than 1 gm/sq cm will not remove the hazards. The chance is probably only one in several thousand that this will not suffice to preserve life on any given day. Transient accelerations of trapped particles result in atmospheric effects such as the aurora, and the polar electrojets, but the cause of these acc l rative actions is quite obscure. ( uthor)