Highlights

This year, University of Coimbra and its associated Observatory hosts the European Space Weather Week (ESWW) in the picturesque city of Coimbra, Portugal. The ESWW provides a rich palette of research topics on Space Weather and Space Climate. During the ESWW the participants will be able to attend different plenary and parallel sessions. The organizers prepared a full program with 4 plenary sessions, 6 parallel sessions on Space Weather Research (SWR), 7 parallel sessions with topics proposed by the community (CD), two sessions on the applications pipeline (APL), one open session (OPS1), one session on the strong geomagnetic storms of the solar cycle 25 up to now (OPS2).  A series of 17 topical discussion meetings (TDMs) where researchers discuss hot topics of the SW community with emphasis on solutions and actions.

The parallel sessions are organized by their conveners. Among the received abstracts, the conveners of each session could appoint one or two research works to be highlighted as special contributions. Based on the text contributions from the highlighted authors, we, the News Team, wrote the articles that you can read below. Click on each title to have a preview of the article and if you want to find out more about it, follow the subsequent link.

 – an overview of the scientific highlights of the sessions SWR3, SWR4, SWR5 –

The magnetosphere is a “natural plasma laboratory” [D. Wang, SWR3] and Earth’s shield against the solar wind, coronal mass ejections and cosmic rays from deep space. The research on the dynamics of the inner magnetosphere with its three components, the ring current, plasmasphere and the radiation belts, is very important for understanding the risks posed on the Earth-orbiting satellites and astronauts. The Earth’s layered atmosphere acts as a natural armor against some of the solar radiation. The coupling between Earth’s magnetosphere and ionosphere is of high importance for us not only because of the beautiful auroras but also because process of magnetosphere-ionosphere coupling involves the transport of vast quantities of energy and momentum [1] between the hot but diluted magnetospheric plasma and the cooler, but denser, plasma in the ionosphere [2]. “The Earth’s ionosphere, being the uppermost part of the atmosphere, is partially ionised due to the solar EUV radiation and precipitation of charged particles. It is coupled to the geospace, and auroras in the polar regions are a manifestation of this coupling. Space weather is highly variable in its nature, and so is the dynamic response of the ionosphere to geomagnetic activity. This results to gradients and irregularities in the plasma density, which can affect the propagation of trans-ionospheric radio waves, thus degrading communication and positioning services. This is one of important space weather effects” [ W. Miloch, SWR4]. For over 150 years, geomagnetic disturbances are responsible for the disruption of the telluric electrical system. [3] …[read more]

– an overview of the scientific highlights of OPS2 and SWR6 sessions –

Advancements in space weather research are increasingly propelled by innovative techniques that utilise the power of artificial intelligence and the collective efforts of global communities. At the ESWW 2024, two sessions—Applications of Artificial Intelligence to Space Weather and Space Climate (SWR6) and Severe Space Weather Events and Impacts of May 2024 (OPS2)—exemplified this progressive shift. These sessions highlight the potential of machine learning and citizen science in deepening our understanding of space weather phenomena…[read more]

– an overview of the SWR1, SWR2, CD5, CD7 session –

CMEs, SEPs and the fast solar wind are the major drivers of space weather in the heliosphere. Understanding these phenomena and being able to timely and reliably predict them is of utmost importance not only to mitigate their possible consequences to our planet, but also to protect our technologies and systems in space. Even though during the last decades significant progress has been made towards their physical understanding by employing multi-space observations and state-of-the-art models, many more steps should be undertaken to fully comprehend their complexity. To discuss the latest advances in that   direction, sessions SWR1, SWR2, CD5 and CD7 will host a number of engaging talks which address this matter…[read more]

– an overview of the P3, CD3 & CD4, APL1&APL2 sessions –

Even though in recent years scientists gain more knowledge in the physics of space weather physics, the field of research is still young. The field of space weather is rather challenging as the end users expect accurate models and they expect them now. To be at the level of the high expectations, most probably we still need to dig deeper in the physics of the phenomena responsible for the space weather, from the source to the impact. It is true that nowadays with the help of the increased computational power and ML, the field of solar physics and space weather is evolving in developing more sophisticated models for understanding solar phenomena and for SW forecasting.

The community driven sessions CD3 and CD4 have their focus  on contributions which shows improvement in  modelling of the near-Earth space radiation and plasma environment through integration of space weather models, engineering tools and innovative scientific methods, such as AI/machine learning, data assimilation, ensemble modelling, open science, for space weather forecasts and applications in operations, software and tool developments that facilitate open model validation, ussage of multi-spacecraft observations for model validation… [read more]

– an overview of the P2 and P4 sessions –

Space weather is a natural hazard that threatens critical technology assets globally.  Mitigating its impacts is an urgent need for social and economic well-being, and global security. Therefore, accelerating our knowledge of space weather is imperative, and hinges on building capacities of individuals, organizations, and society as a whole. As an emerging field, space weather is changing rapidly, and will therefore require new skills, abilities, and resources that must be sustained over time. As ESWW celebrates 20 years of “expanding horizons, from fundamental science to protecting society”, capacity building is a topic that is relevant to the international space weather community… [read more]