SWWT Initiatives - Long term monitoring of Sun-Earth Interactions

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SWWT Initiatives - Long term monitoring of
Sun-Earth Interactions

• F. Lefeuvre
• contributions from 16 groups or individual SWWT
  members

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CONTEXTE

• SW activities rely on long term ground-based and
  space - based observations
• Long term monitoring of the geospace (solar
  corona, solar wind, magnetosphere, ionosphere,
  atmosphere) is needed
• - to understand physical mechanisms driving
  Solar Earth interactions
• - to identify time variations in the Earth
  environment (space environment included)
• - to provide SW services (forecast and
  specifications)
• Part of the observations are known to be
  temporary (e.g. SOHO)
• Other observations, continuously available
  since many years e.g. magnetometers or
  ionosondes) may be stopped due to changes in the
  priorities of National Agencies

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• The dual use of instruments (science and
  operational activities), which should be an
  advantage, may be viewed as a drawback
• SWWT action in progress investigate the
  possibility of creating a european coordination
  structure (like ERANET) between all national and
  international agencies involved (or to be
  involved) in long term monitoring (long term
  measurements, access to distributed data sets
  with large data volume, model development ).
• An ERA-NET (e.g. ASTRONET) does not provide new
  funds but allows to agree on common strategies
  and common support of programmes.
• Three splinter meetings have been organized to
  identify tasks for an ERANET-like structure.
• - Paris meeting, elaboration of a
  questionnaires sent to all SWWT members
• - Toulouse and RAL meetings, discussion on
  elements of the questionnaire.
• The work is not completed.

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2. OUTPUTS OF THE QUESTIONNAIRE- an example
the networks of g.b. magnetometers- synthesis
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2.a The ground-based magnetometers

• What must be monitored
• The time and space variations of the Earth
  magnetic field for time periods ranging from few
  minutes to few decades in order to
• - Earth magnetism,
• - dynamics of the auroral/polar regions,
• - determine the ionospheric current during SW
  storms,
• - produce geomagnetic indices and geomagnetic
  field models,
• - determine the ionospheric current during SW
  storms,
• - enable the calculation and estimation of the
  induced geoelectric field and of the resulting
  GICs in technological systems
• Users are research institutes and industrial
  companies

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• Present status, National and European funding
• - about 100 digital observatories (funded by
  National Agencies) are gathered in the frame of
  the INTERMAGNET network
• - it is completed by more or less temporary
  magnetometers (funded by National Agencies) run
  by other networks like IMAGE
• - the worlwide coordination of magnetic
  observatories is made in the frame of an ad-hoc
  IAGA working group
• INTERMAGNET, consortium led by an executive
  board (4 scientists), the technical issues and
  standards are under the responsabilty of an
  operating committee (14 scientists)
• IMAGE, informal coalition between 10 European
  research institutes who maintain magnetometers in
  northern Europe

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• What are the gaps in the measurements and the
  lack of coordination
• - no gap in stations for Europe (planetary scale
  , regional scale ?)
• - coordination via IAGA ( an internal
  coordination system for INTERMAGNET)
• Benefit of a cooperation between National and
  European organisms
• - Cooperation allows reduction of costs and high
  level technological infrastructure

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2.b Synthesis
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Quantities to monitor Equipments Present driver Funding agencies Interest of a coordination
time and space Earth B field variations (Earth magnetism,dynam. Aur./polar regions) space and g.b. magnetom. Science (ind. users) National - maintain ( upgrade) technical performances
Cosmic ray fluxes and int. (effects on the Earth environt) g.b. neutron and muon monitors Science (ind. users) National Internat. - have data in line and archived
The structure of the ionosphere ionosondes Application (sci. users) National EU - secure the funding - maintain ( upgrade) technical performances
TEC variations Space and g.b. GNSS receivers Application (Sci. developt) National ESA - Secure the funding
Creation of an United Nation International
Committee for Global Navigation System (see
UNOOSA ICG)
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Quantities to monitor Equipments Present driver Funding agencies Interest of a coordination
High latitude ionosphere convection, conduction, (modelling) Super DARN EISCAT Science Intern. associations define a medium and long term strategy for long term monitoring
Scintillations (modelling) receivers Science? Applic. ? National Internat. data exchange
Solar activity g.b. (space ?) Magnetographs Coronographs H- a imagers Science (Ind. Users) National Internat. define a medium and long term strategy for g.b. and space measurements
Solar energy flux (understanding irradiance variations, therm ionosph. Res.) Space EUV/UV detectors g.b. F10.7 cm measurements (for proxy) Science (Ind. Users) TIGER SCOSTEP programme? National Internat. - secure the continuity of F 10.7 cm measurements - define a strategy (ISS?)
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Quantities to monitor Equipments Present driver Funding agencies Interest of a coordination
Coronal hole obs. (for CME prediction and detection) EUV soft x-ray images Science National Internat. define a medium and long term strategy for long term monitoring
Solar radio flux, signature of CMEs, shocks, SEP, .. Multi frequency radiotelescopes Science (Ind. Users?) National Internat. define a medium and long term strategy for long term monitoring
IMF and solar wind parameters at L1 Plasma and wave measurements on-board satellites Use by science as well as by application Internat. Define a European strategy


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General situation for Space based
measurementsLong term measurements(a) solar
corona and solar wind(b) radiationsPresent
situation - (a) supposed to be taken into
account by ESA/Sci.- (b) is the mission of the
ESA project of Tech network of CentersProblems
- (b) needs (a)- (b) has a scientific part
(ILWS)
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3. INTEREST OF AN INTER-AGENCIES COORDINATION
STRUCTURE

• Ground-based measurements
• - secure the funding
• - optimize the space, time and frequency coverage
• maintain and improve the technical performances
• define strategies for long term monitoring
  measurement (e.g. support of proposals for new
  networks)
• International equipments
• - define European medium and long terms
  strategies
• Space based measurements
• - facilitate dual use of satellites and ISS
  (Science, Earth Observation and technical
  satellite, etc.) or even dual satellites

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Access to distributed data sets with large data
volume ? get EU supports for data exchanges,
archiving, Virtual Observatories (in
particular via upstream actions) Model
development ? prioritize models to be developed
(and so supported) ? examine the possibility of
developing European global models
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4. CONCLUSION

• long term monitoring is essential for scientific
  as well as operational SW activities. Approaches
  may-be different for ground-based measurements
  and for space based measurements. Access to data
  and model developments are complementary
  problems.
• Ground based measurements
• - National scientific agencies, which dont like
  long time long term commitments, must be
  convinced about the scientific objectives to fund
  equipments
• - Recommendations from Scientific Unions and/or
  Interdisciplinary Bodies may help to convince
  Scientific Unions
• - IHY may give an opportunity to start new long
  term monitoring (as an example The monitoring
  of solar radio flux, signature of CMEs, shocks,
  SEP, ... from a network of multi-frequency radio
  telescopes)
• - question what about the user needs?

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• Space based measurements
• - adapted strategies must be defined for long
  term monitoring from space
• - coordination is needed
• between ESA departments
• between ESA and National Space agencies
• with other European Space entities (EUMETSAT)

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• In all cases, a coordination between all partners
  would be very useful
• An ERA-NET could be a solution. This proposal has
  first to be tested with ASTRONET