**2. Magnetosphere-ionosphere emissions and waves in the polar regions**

Space weather begins at the sun. The sun exhibits an 11-year cycle of sunspots that are visible manifestations of increased solar magnetic field. Certain larger flares produce solar radio bursts of broadband noise from 10 MHz to 10 GHz that may directly affect GPS receivers on the dayside of the earth. Terrestrial effects are the result of three general types of conditions on the Sun: eruptive flares, disappearing filaments, and coronal holes facing Earth [9], on which the nature of magnetosphere-ionosphere interactions depends. The magnetosphere and the ionosphere of the Earth are sources of electromagnetic oscillations and waves, many of which are detected in the form of radiation outside the region of generation, in particular, on the surface of the Earth. The electromagnetic radiation range of the magnetosphere and ionosphere overlaps in frequency by many orders of magnitude—from the lowest frequencies of magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) waves (f ~ 5–10<sup>−</sup><sup>3</sup> Hz) to X-rays of energetic electrons in the upper atmosphere (f ~ 1018 Hz) [10]. The complexity and diversity of physical phenomena associated with solar activity and transmitted to earth through solar-terrestrial connections make the issue of identifying bioeffective agents in the space weather

**57**

*The Effect of Space Weather on Human Body at the Spitsbergen Archipelago*

phenomenon nontrivial and rather complicated. Some of the cosmophysical phenomena, as attributes of space weather, are most pronounced and specific for

**3. The effect of space weather on human body at the Spitsbergen** 

The unique data characterizing morbidity of the residents in the Russian settlements of the Barentsburg (1985–1993), including the females, were used in the study. The statistics on the complications about pregnancy and the postpartum period in women, who lived in the archipelago during the time of the former USSR, provide invaluable information that allows assessing the effect of space weather associated with the polar cap and the polar cusp on pregnant women. Today, such research is extremely difficult, because the residence of pregnant women in the

The monthly statistical reports on the morbidity structure in the Barentsburg mine hospital (1985–1993) were basis for analysis [15]. All data of morbidity were normalized on 1000 people of residents in the Barentsburg. The average number of inhabitants in each Russian settlement (Barentsburg and Pyramid) was about 1000, where one third were women. The average monthly data characterizing the CA were selected in the National Geophysical Data Center (NGDC): Solar Data Services (http: //www.ngdc.noaa.gov/stp/SOLAR/ftp: sunspotnumber.html); intensity of the secondary cosmic rays (CR) was estimated by neutron count rate (ground station of the neutron monitor of the PGI KSC Russian Academy of Sciences in the Apatity and in the Barentsburg). Statistical data analysis was performed using the software Statistica

10.0 and the graphing was carried out using the software package ORIGIN50.

The bioefficiency of geocosmic agents is manifested in synchronous dynamics of the functional state of resident's organism in the high latitudes [16–21] or in the coherency of morbidity dynamics of the population in the Arctic territories [22] with variations of the geocosmic agents on the time scales with different resolution

The coefficients of cross-correlations between the monthly (01.01.1985– 31.12.1989) values on the curves, smoothed by 5 points, of the morbidity and the

The synchronism of the incidence diseases follows from the cross-correlation coefficients shown in **Table 1**, where one can see that the monthly values of the incidence of the mental disorders (MD) have significant correlation coefficients with injuries and poisonings (IP) and with f10.7-index. However, IP correlates with other diseases (**Table 1**): with DEA), with DAAV, with IFGO, with ISST, and with

One can see certain concordance between the curves of the average monthly angular parameters of the solar wind (sigma-phi-V, deg.,), the monthly dynamics of incidence of the mental disorders (MD), the injuries, and poisoning (IP) in **Figure 2A**. Coefficient correlations between sigma-phi-V and the MD, sigma-phi-V, and IP are r = 0.32, r = 0.44, and p < 0.05, respectively. In this case, the MD and the

solar radio flux f10.7\_index are demonstrated in **Table 1**.

the fluxes of solar radio emission (f10.7-index).

*DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.85021*

high latitudes and for the polar cusp [11–14].

**archipelago**

**3.1 Material and methods**

**3.2 Results and discussion**

*3.2.1 Monthly morbidity*

(day, month, and year).

Spitsbergen archipelago is undesirable.

phenomenon nontrivial and rather complicated. Some of the cosmophysical phenomena, as attributes of space weather, are most pronounced and specific for high latitudes and for the polar cusp [11–14].
