STCE

eSWAN school - space weather data, models and services

Europe/Brussels
Description

Sporadic and massive eruptions of highly energetic matter and radiation from the Sun can trigger Space Weather processes in the near-Earth environment. Technological infrastructures on and around our planet are prone to Space Weather: satellite navigation and radio wave propagation can be impacted, as well as large energy transport systems like electrical power grids. Human health is also endangered by Space Weather: harmful radiation at flight altitude can increase when a solar particle storm hits the Earth’s environment, exposing crews and passengers to increased particle radiation.

Impacted stakeholders want to learn about those natural hazards. The need for Space Weather knowledge is increasing fast as more nations, companies and industries want to increase their awareness and resilience, to bridge with the reference community and learn how products made available by its members can be suitable for specific needs.

The school covers the basics of space weather, space weather data, models, indices, alerts, forecasts and products. It offers guidance and an overview of the vast amount of online information offered by the STCE and other space weather centers. Special emphasis will be given to Space Weather indices: where to find them, how to interpret and use them. The monitoring, forecast and alerting services of the STCE and other space weather centers will be discussed, as well as the PECASUS consortium, which provides a Space Weather service for the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) in the form of advisories on impacts on GNSS, HF radio communication and increased radiation at flight altitude.

Material

Please bring pen and paper and if possible a laptop with jHelioviewer installed. 

Links to data and exercises - to be used during the course

Information

STCE: Space weather news, info and courses (currently under maintenance)

SIDC Space Weather Services: predictions (ursigram), alerts and automated detections, data and news

RMI Magnetosphere and ionosphere:  K_Belgium, MUF, ionosonde data 

ROB GNSS group: SRB alert, VTEC data

Forecasting bulletins and alerts

SIDC bulletins: current Bulletins and forecasts

SIDC Alerts

Archive of bulletins and alerts

Detections and tools

jHelioviewer: visualizing solar data

Solar Demon: automated flare, dimming and EUV wave detections

CACTUS: Automated CME detection

Data sources

SDO AIA and HMI data browser

SOHO/LASCO movie maker

STEREO Science Center

NOAA SWx Products and data

Forecasting Timeline (Ursigram) Exercise

 link

Advisory Exercise

link