Speaker
Description
Space weather is increasingly recognised as a significant global hazard, with both widespread and region-specific impacts. This study investigates two major space weather events from May and October 2024, selected for their intensity, their occurrence during a time of high technological dependence, and their differing solar origins. The May event resulted from the interaction and compounding of two coronal mass ejections (CMEs) as they traversed interplanetary space to Earth, while the October event was driven by a single, more isolated CME.
We compare and contrast these events, following their development from solar origin through to the first Lagrangian point (L1), using data from solar wind monitors, and then to Earth. We then examine the terrestrial impacts with a particular focus on the island of Ireland. This includes both the societal implications and the impacts on the Irish power grid through modelling of the geomagnetically induced electric field.
