Space weather disrupts nocturnal bird migration
Published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), 2023
Recommended citation: Gulson-Castillo, E. R.; Van Doren, B. M.; Bui, M. X.; Horton, K. G.; Li, J.; Moldwin, M. B.; Shedden, K.; Welling, D. T.; Winger, B. M. (2023) Space weather disrupts nocturnal bird migration. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 120(42). https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2306317120 https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2306317120
Birds and other animals depend on Earth’s magnetic field for long-distance navigation during their seasonal migrations. However, the magnetic field is regularly disrupted by bursts of solar energy, which may temporarily decrease its reliability for navigation. We used long-term datasets derived from Doppler radar and magnetometers to test whether geomagnetic disturbance is correlated with the number of birds migrating, their effort flying against the wind, and their flight altitude. Our results suggest that fewer birds migrate during strong geomagnetic disturbances and that migrating birds may experience more difficulty navigating, especially under overcast conditions in autumn. Our results provide ecological context for decades of research on the mechanisms of animal magnetoreception by demonstrating community-wide impacts of space weather on migration dynamics.