Japanese study unveils how earthquakes quietly disrupt satellites and communications

While earthquakes have been traditionally linked to surface-level destruction, new findings show that their effect goes far beyond the crust of the Earth reaching into the upper atmosphere and even interfering with space-based technologies. In a pioneering piece of research, scientists from Nagoya University have been able to develop the first-ever 3D visualisation of atmospheric disturbances in the ionosphere resulting from a significant earthquake.With data from Japan's extensive network of more than 4,500 Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) receivers, the scientists charted the ripple of the 7.5-magnitude Noto Peninsula Earthquake on January 1, 2024. What they found, reported in the journal Earth, Planets and Space, not only deepens the knowledge of earthquakes travelling through the atmosphere but also poses serious issues of satellite vulnerability and communication.The ionosphere is a highly charged atmosphere of Earth between 60 and 1,000 kilometres high that plays a critical role in global communications by bending and slowing down radio waves from satellites. Earthquakes, as it happens, can perturb this sensitive layer by creating acoustic waves that propagate upward from the surface. To observe these disturbances, scientists tracked delays in GNSS satellite signals induced by changes in the electron density of the ionosphere. By using tomography methods, as in medical CT scans, they imaged the dynamic 3D behaviour of the ionosphere in response to the seismic shockwaves.About ten minutes following the earthquake, wave-like ripples that are similar to those patterns created in concentric circles when a stone is thrown into water started to emanate in the ionosphere. These ripples, also referred to as seismo-ionospheric perturbations, showed unexpected tilts in their structures that were not included in previous models.Earlier science reference models had long considered that the waves created by a quake have a single point source. The 3D visualizations presented in this study told a different story. The waves were not coming from one but rather from several rupture points along a 150-kilometre fault.Dr. Weizheng Fu, lead author, said earthquakes release energy not from a point source but evolve gradually along fault lines. The researchers' new model took this dynamic rupture process into account by modeling wave emissions from sections of the fault in time intervals of some 30 seconds. This new method successfully replicated the angled sound wave patterns observed in the ionosphere. This change in comprehension greatly enhances our potential to forecast and make sense of the atmospheric influence of immense seismic occurrences.The potential of this research extends far beyond scientific understanding. Ionospheric disturbances have the potential to degrade the precision of GPS systems, to slow down satellite communications, and to affect navigation tools—concerns which are of the utmost importance during disaster relief and aviation. Co-author Professor Yuichi Otsuka highlighted the wider technological significance of the research. "By knowing how these waves are created and how they change, we can start to predict and buffer risks in communication systems before and after earthquakes," he explained.In addition to increasing technological resilience, the research also opens the door to better earthquake early warning systems. Historically dependent on ground-based sensors, the systems could be greatly enhanced by the inclusion of atmospheric data, specifically patterns seen in the ionosphere.Also Read | Strawberry Moon 2025: June’s full moon to light up the sky this month- know date, time, and the science behind the name