Assessment of the Radiation Environment at Commercial Jet-Flight Altitudes During GLE 72 on 10 September 2017 Using Neutron Monitor Data

Abstract

As a result of intense solar activity during the first 10 days of September, a ground level enhancement occurred on 10 September 2017. Here we computed the effective dose rates in the polar region at several altitudes during the event using the derived rigidity spectra of the energetic solar protons. The contribution of different populations of energetic particles, namely, galactic cosmic rays and solar protons, to the exposure is explicitly considered and compared. We also assessed the exposure of a crew members/passengers to radiation at different locations and at several cruise flight altitudes and calculated the received doses for two typical intercontinental flights. The estimated received dose during a high latitude, 40 kft, ∼10-hr flight is ∼100 μSv.