How Animals and Nature React to an Eclipse

Of all of the animals worth observing during a total solar eclipse, some of the most intriguing are humans. They stop what they’re doing; they stare skyward; they lower their voices to a hush. Some may gather their young close. Some may even shed tears. If you’ve ever witnessed a solar eclipse yourself, none of this comes as a surprise; indeed, you’ve surely exhibited some of these behaviors too. Other species of animals display other kinds of behavioral changes, as the weather and lighting and nature itself seem to turn on their axes. So what should you expect to experience on April 8, as a total eclipse crosses the U.S. from the southwestern edge of Texas to the northern tip of New England? [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] Some of the greatest changes will occur far above us, in the ionosphere, the band of atmosphere that ranges from an altitude of 60 to 300 km (37 to 190 mi.). Defined by the abundant presence of electrically charged particles, or ions, the ionosphere is denser during the day, turbocharged by incoming radiation from the sun. As NASA explains, that means that during an eclipse, the overall concentration of ions in the ionosphere falls. This reduction can lead to a cooling of the upper atmosphere, which in turn can cause local depletions known as “ionospheric holes.” That has an impact on populations on the ground as those cavities may disrupt the transmission of radio signals and lead to anomalies in GPS navig...
Source: TIME: Science - Category: Science Authors: Tags: Uncategorized Eclipse Source Type: news