Earth’s Invisible Plasma Bubbles Disrupt GPS Signals – Scientists Reveal Breakthrough Detection
There are huge, invisible structures in the ionosphere that are high above the surface of the Earth. These structures are called equatorial plasma bubbles (EPBs). These turbulent areas of low-density plasma can be up to 60 miles (100 km) wide and mess up GPS signals, scramble radio communications, and even cause deadly military accidents. Now, Chinese scientists have come up with a new way to find these hard-to-find phenomena by looking at small changes in atmospheric airglow. This discovery could change the way aviation safety and emergency response systems work around the world.
The Ghosts of the Ionosphere: What Are Plasma Bubbles?
EPBs are holes in the ionosphere, which is the highest layer of the atmosphere. There, solar radiation takes electrons from gas molecules and turns them into a sea of charged particles called plasma. These bubbles start to form just after sunset near the magnetic equator, when the ionisation drops sharply and plasma starts to swirl and become unstable. Scientists say that some of these structures are as wide as small countries and look like “holes in Swiss cheese.”
You can’t see EPBs with the naked eye, but you can clearly see what they do. They change the shape of radio waves, make satellite navigation less accurate, and have been linked to near-misses in aviation. A study from 2024 found that GPS systems on commercial flights are very weak, and even small changes in the signal could send planes off course.
Auroras Hold the Key: China’s Airglow Breakthrough
It felt like it would be hard to maintain track of EPBs in real time for a long time. Scientists at China’s National Space Science Centre then found an unexpected friend: airglow. Plasma particles coming together make this light show happen in another universe.When EPBs move through it, the pattern and brightness alter a little. By teaching a machine-learning algorithm to look at 10 years’ worth of airglow photographs from southern China, the team was able to locate these hidden structures 88% of the time.
“The airglow is like a fingerprint,” explains Dr. Yiping Jiang, the lead researcher.”The deformations tell us exactly where the bubbles are, which regular radar didn’t do very well.” The system has one huge problem: it doesn’t work when there isn’t much solar activity and the airglow diminishes. This makes it hard to keep track of things.
From GPS Glitches to Tragedy: The Real-World Dangers
Image by NASA, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
The risks of finding EPB are very high. During a U.S. military operation in Afghanistan in 2002, a huge plasma bubble messed up radio signals, stopping warnings from getting to a Chinook helicopter. The plane crashed in enemy territory, killing three soldiers. This was later linked to ionospheric interference.
Civilian aviation is also at risk. Hong Kong Polytechnic University did a study in 2025 that showed that EPBs can change GPS readings by metres, which means that pilots have to use backup systems during important landing phases. Dr. Suelynn Choy, an expert on aviation safety, says, “These disruptions aren’t just annoying; they’re a hidden threat.”
NASA’s Alphabet Soup: X-Shaped Mysteries in the Sky
Image by NASA/CIL/Chris Meaney, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
NASA’s GOLD satellite recently found strange X- and C-shaped plasma structures in the ionosphere. Some of these structures appeared without the help of solar storms or volcanic eruptions, adding to the mystery. Scientists think that these shapes, which look like “chromosomes,” could be caused by chaotic atmospheric turbulence, which could make communication even worse.
Dr. Jeffrey Klenzing from NASA says, “These aren’t just interesting things.” “These are proof that the lower atmosphere of Earth is causing ionospheric chaos in ways we don’t yet know.”
Super Bubbles and Space Weather’s Wild Cards
EPBs aren’t always small or easy to guess. The Tonga volcano eruption in 2022 made a rare “super plasma bubble” that floated over Australia for hours, causing high-precision GPS systems to be up to five hours late. Scientists are having to rethink how plasma acts because of things like this that were once thought to be impossible outside of the equator.
“Imagine a bubble so vast it blankets continents,” says Dr. Rezy Pradipta from Boston College. “That’s the scale we’re dealing with.”
The Future: Early Warnings and Resilient Tech
Image by NASA, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
EPBs are making global navigation more dangerous, so researchers are working quickly to make early-warning systems. China’s airglow technology and cheap GPS tracking networks might soon let planes and soldiers know what’s going on in real time. Engineers are also making “scintillation-hardened” receivers that can deal with turbulence in the ionosphere.
Learning about these hidden bubbles is more than just a scientific curiosity; it’s a matter of life and death as space weather becomes less and less predictable. “The ionosphere is Earth’s last frontier,” says Dr. Jiang. “And we’re just beginning to find out about its hidden dangers.”
Sources:
- LiveScience
- AGUpubs
