Book Review: Dolores Knipp's Understanding Space Weather and the Physics Behind It

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/96278/1/swe539.pd

Simulation of January 1-7, 1978 events

The solar wind disturbances of January 1 to 7, 1978 are reconstructed by a modeling method. First, the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) background pattern, including a corotating shock, is reproduced using the Stanford source surface map. Then, two solar flares with their onset times on January 1, 0717 UT at S17 deg E10 deg and 2147 UT S17 deg E32 deg, respectively, are selected to generate two interplanetary transient shocks. It is shown that these two shocks interacted with the corotating shock, resulting in a series of interplanetary events observed by four spacecraft, Helios 1 and 2, IMP-8 (Interplanetary Monitoring Platform 8), and Voyager 2. Results show that these three shock waves interact and coalesce in interplanetary space such that Helios 2 and Voyager 2 observed only one shock and Helios 1 and IMP-8 observed two shocks. All shocks observed by the four spacecraft, except the corotating shock at Helios 1, are either a transient shock or a shock which is formed from coalescing of the transient shocks with the corotating shock. The method is useful in reconstructing a very complicated chain of interplanetary events observed by a number of spacecraft

Reply to comment by H. Q. Feng, D. J. Wu, and J. K. Chao on “Comparison of small‐scale flux rope magnetic properties to large‐scale magnetic clouds: Evidence for reconnection across the HCS”?

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/94887/1/jgra20830.pd

Lightning Studies Using VHF Waveform Data

Several atmospheric electricity studies were begun utilizing VHF lightning data obtained with the lightning detection and ranging system (LDAR) at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC). The LDAR system uses differences in the time of arrival of electromagnetic noise generated by the lightning process to seven antennas to calculate very accurate three dimensional locations of lightning. New software was developed to obtain the source location of multiple, simultaneous, and spatially separate lightning signatures. Three studies utilizing these data were begun this summer: (1) VHF observations of simultaneous lightning, (2) ground based VHF observations of transionospheric pulse pairs (TIPPs), and (3) properties of intra-cloud recoil streamers. The principal result of each of these studies are: (1) lightning commonly occurs in well separated (2-50 km) regions simultaneously, (2) large amplitude pairs of VHF pulses are commonly observed on the ground but had not been previously identified due to the large number of signals usually observed in the VHF noise of close lightning, and (3) the VHF Q-noise and pulse signatures associated with K-changes within intra-cloud lightning propagate at velocities of more than 10(exp 8) m/s. The interim results of these three studies are reviewed in this brief report

Probabilistic forecasting analysis of geomagnetic indices for southward IMF events

Geomagnetic disturbances that drive space weather impacts such as ground‐induced currents and radiation belt enhancements are usually driven by strong southward interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) intervals. However, current heliospheric models either do not predict or provide low‐accuracy forecasts of IMF Bz. Here we examine the probability distribution function of geomagnetic activity indices for southward IMF intervals. We analyze the in situ plasma and magnetic field measurements long‐duration large‐amplitude southward IMF intervals (called Bs events). The statistical profiles of other solar wind and IMF parameters show significant differences during the periods 1 day before the Bs events for different solar wind transients (such as interplanetary coronal mass ejections and stream interaction regions). As is well known, we find that the solar wind speed is positively correlated with geomagnetic indices and that strong southward IMF is the key in storm triggering but not necessarily for substorms. We find that the solar wind density weakly affects geomagnetic field activity, but the response depends on the type of solar wind transient that includes the strong Bs events. We also find that magnetospheric ultralow‐frequency waves are induced by both strong southward IMF and solar wind dynamic pressure disturbances. We suggest that strong Bs events could be predicted from the preceding characteristics of solar wind and IMF changes and that probabilistic forecasting of geomagnetic activity occurrence is potentially useful in space weather forecasting. We present preliminary analysis to demonstrate the out‐of‐sample ability to predict IMF Bs events with in situ solar wind data.Key PointsSW/IMF shows significant difference before strong IMF Bs for different transientsSW density weakly affects magnetosphere, depending on the type of transientULF waves are induced by strong IMF Bs and SW dynamic pressure disturbancesPeer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/111269/1/swe20207.pd

Probabilistic forecasting analysis of geomagnetic indices for southward IMF events

Geomagnetic disturbances that drive space weather impacts such as ground‐induced currents and radiation belt enhancements are usually driven by strong southward interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) intervals. However, current heliospheric models either do not predict or provide low‐accuracy forecasts of IMF Bz. Here we examine the probability distribution function of geomagnetic activity indices for southward IMF intervals. We analyze the in situ plasma and magnetic field measurements long‐duration large‐amplitude southward IMF intervals (called Bs events). The statistical profiles of other solar wind and IMF parameters show significant differences during the periods 1 day before the Bs events for different solar wind transients (such as interplanetary coronal mass ejections and stream interaction regions). As is well known, we find that the solar wind speed is positively correlated with geomagnetic indices and that strong southward IMF is the key in storm triggering but not necessarily for substorms. We find that the solar wind density weakly affects geomagnetic field activity, but the response depends on the type of solar wind transient that includes the strong Bs events. We also find that magnetospheric ultralow‐frequency waves are induced by both strong southward IMF and solar wind dynamic pressure disturbances. We suggest that strong Bs events could be predicted from the preceding characteristics of solar wind and IMF changes and that probabilistic forecasting of geomagnetic activity occurrence is potentially useful in space weather forecasting. We present preliminary analysis to demonstrate the out‐of‐sample ability to predict IMF Bs events with in situ solar wind data.Key PointsSW/IMF shows significant difference before strong IMF Bs for different transientsSW density weakly affects magnetosphere, depending on the type of transientULF waves are induced by strong IMF Bs and SW dynamic pressure disturbancesPeer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/111269/1/swe20207.pd

Paper Session III-B - The Photon Satellite: A Demonstration of Satellite Laser Tracking and Communications

An alliance of Florida universities and companies are proposing to construct a small satellite to demonstrate the feasibility of laser communications for satellite to groundairborne receivers and ground-airborne to satellite receivers. The possibility of using high-data-rate optical transmitters for satellite communications has generated a renew interest in laser communication systems for ground-airborne-to-space and space-toground- airborne data links. Here we describe a ground to satellite experiment to demonstrate the requirements of pointing accuracy and tracking for reliable communications and a novel technique to track a satellite with laser beam

Similarities between interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome and vulvodynia: implications for patient management

Interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome (IC/BPS) and vulvodynia are chronic pain syndromes that appear to be intertwined from the perspectives of embryology, pathology and epidemiology. These associations may account for similar responses to various therapies