Following buzz about a geomagnetic storm that was expected to produce celestial waves in shades of blue above northern parts of Colorado, many were left wondering about potential impacts of this natural occurrence – aside from the free light show.

Editor’s Note: In the most recent update, NOAA downgraded their prediction for the final day of this storm, stating that ‘G1’ conditions are no longer expected on Friday night.

While the most talked about impact of a potential geomagnetic storm above Colorado seemed to revolve around disrupted communication technology, including cell phones, storms of this nature can also have an impact on migratory animals, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) – even a G1 geomagnetic storm, which is considered to be ‘minor’ in size.

While NOAA seems confident in claiming that geomagnetic solar storms have some level of effect on migratory wildlife, research that’s available on the topic isn’t extremely precise.

A 2017 article published by NASA looked into the possibility of solar storms resulting in beaches sea animals due to natural navigational abilities being thrown off by disturbances in Earth’s magnetic field. They concluded that “there is no smoking gun,” but that “geomagnetic conditions may be part of the cocktail of contributing factors” when it comes to throwing animals off their natural course.

The topic of geomagnetic disruptions impacting animal behavior was against addressed in a study that was published in February of 2020. Researchers found that on days where high levels of radio-frequency noise were present, whale strandings – or beachings – were four times more likely. This study concluded that while previous research suggested that migratory animals may be merely thrown off and less accurate with their navigation due to variations in Earth’s magnetic field, what may actually be happening is that the animals become temporarily blinded in regard to navigation, thus becoming disoriented, more likely to make mistakes.

While providing some additional insight, the research published in 2020 was also relatively non-conclusive, stating that while geomagnetic activity may be one factor in strandings, that many other factors may also be present.

Another 2019 study also found that migratory birds can be impacted by solar activity and changes that this causes in Earth’s geomagnetic field.

While the aforementioned 2020 study involving whales looked at instances of natural disruptions, the 2019 study involved the creation of an artificial disruption of a geomagnetic field, with researchers observing the impact of this disruption on three types of songbirds.

While two songbird species didn’t respond to the artificial ‘solar storm’ by changing activity, one species limited their nocturnal activity and increased early morning activity. This led researchers to conclude that solar storm behavior can, at times, impact animal behavior, “potentially compromising migratory performances.” Researchers involved in this study proposed that nighttime migratory behavior was likely reduced to prevent orientation issues that may occur during magnetic field disruption. During daylight hours, other navigational cues likely limit this risk, as they allow for easier navigational correction.

While research into this topic is fairly limited and a lot of unknowns exist, the most recent related studies seem to indicate that geomagnetic storms can impact migratory animals’ ability to navigate, especially when other assisting cues aren’t present. Though Colorado is far enough south to avoid the impacts of most geomagnetic storms, it’s reasonable to believe that the Centennial State’s wildlife may see some disruption in their ability to travel if a more powerful storm hits.

Many migratory animals exist in Colorado, including big game like elk. A number of migratory birds also pass through the state, including more than 100,000 snow geese that pass through the state each year. Whether or not either of the mentioned species could be impacted remains up in the air due to lack of research.