Ninth European Space Weather Week
November 5 - 9, 2012, Brussels, Belgium


Sessions

Session 1European Space Weather Landscape: Current Perspectives and Requirements for the Future
Details: oral - posters
S. Lechner (JRC)
J-P Luntama (ESA)
Session 2Innovations and Key Challenges in Space Weather Science and Applications
Details: oral - posters
V. Bothmer (Univ. Goettingen)
J. Moen (Univ. Oslo)
Session 3ASolar Variability Effects on Climate
Details: oral - posters
T. Dudok de Wit (Univ. Orléans)
K. Matthes (GEOMAR)
W. Schmutz (PMOD)
Session 3BCoupled Space Weather Modelling
Details: oral - posters
G. Lapenta (KULeuven)
A. Aylward (UCL, UK)
Session 4ASpacecraft Operations and Space Weather
Details: oral - posters
R. Horne (British Antarctic Survey, UK)
D. Pitchford (SES Astra)
Session 4BSpace Weather in the Solar System
Details: oral - posters
A. Coustenis
Veronique Dehant (ROB)
Session 5COST ES0803 Final Results
Details: oral - posters
A. Belehaki (NOA)
M. Messerotti (INAF)
Session 3 and 4 include two parallel sessions held at the same time.
Session 3A and 4A take place in Auditorium Albert II - Session 3B and 4B take place in Roi Baudouin.
All other plenary sessions take place in Auditorium Albert II.

Session description

1 - European Space Weather Landscape: Current Perspectives and Requirements for the Future
S. Lechner (JRC) and J-P Luntama (ESA)
Details: oral - posters
This session focuses on European SSA SWE system aspects reaching beyond the scientific and technical challenges of reliable and accurate space weather service provision. The objective of the SSA system is to support the European independent utilisation of, and access to, space for research and services. The presentations in this session provide insight into how these objectives are reflected in the on-going and planned activities and programmes within Europe. The addressed topics include data and user policy, asset federation at national and European level, national SWE policies and international and inter-agency collaboration, observation requirements for space weather services and long term planning perspectives including asset maintenance and development needs including coordination of international collaboration activities. The presentations also reflect experiences and case studies from on-going space weather monitoring and forecasting activities in the perspective of the needs for the future.

2 - Innovations and Key Challenges in Space Weather Science and Applications
V. Bothmer (Univ. Goettingen) and J. Moen (Univ. Oslo)
Details: oral - posters
This is an open session with focus on scientific advances in understanding, modelling and predicting space weather. Its purpose is to highlight recent achievements and current challenges whilst also accommodating contributions (oral and poster) which do not fit into one of the other more specialised sessions. The session title is to be understood in a wide sense. Progress in modelling and prediction requires progress in a fundamental understanding of space weather drivers but also in data analysis and visualization techniques, improvements of observation facilities and methods, and concepts for suitable data infrastructures and their maintenance. Papers reflecting all of these aspects are encouraged, in highlighting innovative achievements and key challenges for further advances.


3a - Solar Variability Effects on Climate
Thierry Dudok de Wit (Univ. Orléans), Katja Matthes (GEOMAR), Werner Schmutz (PMOD)
Details: oral - posters
While space weather usually refers to the influence of short-term solar variability on planetary environments and on the heliosphere, a more subtle influence of solar variability at longer timescales is also present and beginning to be appreciated. To emphasize the role of this long-term solar forcing and its consequences, which impacts the formation and evolution of planetary atmospheres, the evolution of life and global climate, and more, we specifically use the term Space Climate.
This session will address key issues in space climate, including impacts on the Earth's middle and lower atmosphere. Particular attention will be given to the understanding and assessment of the multiple physical mechanisms of solar influence on climate in observations and in atmospheric models, rather than to correlation analyses.


3b - coupled space weather modelling
G. Lapenta (KULeuven) and Alan Aylward (UCL, UK)
Details: oral - posters
For several years, efforts have been underway in the USA to model space weather as a complex phenomenon driven by mostly solar activity, moderated by the solar wind, interacting with and being influenced by planetary magnetospheres, ionospheres and neutral atmospheres. This has led to the concept of integrated space weather modelling which has by now reached an advanced state with practical implementations. In Europe similar efforts started much later but are now pursued in several supra-national research projects, thereby making use of modelling capabilities and expertise available in Europe. The ultimate goal of such efforts is the development of a comprehensive system with reliable space weather prediction capabilities.
The session focuses on recent advances in coupled space weather modelling primarily, but not exclusively, in Europe. Some specific challenges which may be addressed concern (i) the wide range of spatial and temporal scales which characterise a coupled system, (ii) the sparsity of observations in certain regions as compared to the vast amount of observations in other regions, (iii) the coupling of existing stand-alone models having very different architectures and spatial and temporal resolutions, (iv) methods for data assimilation into a complex model suite. Papers are encouraged on all these topics.


4a - Spacecraft Operations and Space Weather
R. Horne (British Antarctic Survey, UK) and D. Pitchford (SES Astra)
Details: oral - posters
During their operational lifetime, all spacecraft are subject to the local space environment which can include solar UV, X- and gamma radiation, energetic charged particles and plasmas. As such, the environment can severely limit space missions as well as pose threats to humans in space. Space missions may also experience telecommunications issues as a result of space weather induced changes to the ionosphere, as well as enhanced drag effects in cases of low-Earth orbit. Spacecraft operators need to assess and monitor these risks in order to ensure that the primary goals of the mission are not adversely affected by these conditions.
This session invites contributions from scientists and stakeholders such as space agencies, satellite operators, satellite designers, and space insurance companies. The main objectives will be to discuss the present state of the art in understanding and monitoring the space environment for spacecraft operations and discussing end-user needs in order to manage the effects of space weather on space mission operation and take steps towards a coordinated approach to risk management.


4b - Space Weather in the Solar System
A. Coustenis (CNRS) and V. Dehant (ROB)
Details: oral - posters
It is the behaviour of the Sun that contributes primarily to defining the changing space environment in the solar system. Thus, the local space weather conditions of a planet will be a function of solar activity, its location in the solar system and whether it has a magnetosphere and/ or atmosphere. The Moon offers new opportunities for studying the space environment outside the terrestrial magnetosphere. It could also be seen as a stepping stone for potential future human interplanetary travel (e.g. to Mars); missions for which radiation hazards have already been identified as a major concern.  Furthermore, missions underway and currently under study to investigate Jupiter and its moons, mainly Ganymede, Europa, and Callisto, or Saturn and its moons, mainly Titan, are expected to provide us with unique information about these harsh environments. Another issue to be resolved for interplanetary travel would be how best to mitigate against space weather induced telecommunications effects, for example relying on forecasts from Earth vs. onboard forecasting capabilities. This session invites contributions (theoretical and observational) concerning all aspects (including science, technical, engineering) of space weather in the solar system, its observation and effects.


5 - COST ES0803: Final Results
A. Belehaki (NOA) and M. Messerotti (INAF)
Details: oral - posters
COST Action ES0803 'Developing Space Weather Products and Services in Europe' was primarily aimed at forming an interdisciplinary network between European scientists dealing with different issues relevant to Geospace as well as warning system developers and operators in order to assess existing space weather products and recommend new ones. This session summarises the final achievements after four years of successful implementation, such as advances in modelling and predicting space weather,validation and demonstration of selected key models, recommendations for new space weather products and services, dissemination, training and outreach activities. A large number of national space weather programmes have been supported by this Action and contributed with very important results. In this final event, besides the invited overview talks that will be presented by the leaders of the relevant groups, COST ES0803 experts are solicited to submit poster contributions that highlight advances achieved in the framework of the Action.