CEDAR email: Abstract submission open for the 15th European Space Weather Week (November 2018, Leuven, Belgium)

[Craig Rodger]

Dear colleagues

We would like to alert you to the upcoming 15th European Space Weather Week 
(ESWW) meeting, and in particular Session 2. While the meeting is near the end 
of the year in November, the abstract deadline is already fast approaching!

The abstract deadline is 18 May 2018
The meeting will occur from 5-9 November 2018 in Leuven, Belgium
Conference website: http://www.stce.be/esww15/
Session information: http://www.stce.be/esww15/program/sessions.php

Please consider submitting an abstract to our sessions, and travelling to
Leuven to attend this conference! We wish to particularly point out our session 
on Space Weather impacts at ground/near-Space, and prediction/warning of these 
impacts (session 2). The session description is given below:


Session 2 - Geomagnetic Storms - Ground and near-Earth Space Weather Impacts

Convenors : Craig Rodger (University of Otago), Mark Clilverd (British 
Antarctic Survey)
Planned time: Monday 5 November 2018 (afternoon).
Invited Speakers: Daniel Welling (Univ. Michigan, USA), Mark Gibbs (Met Office, 
UK)

Large geomagnetic storms pose a significant Space Weather impact through ground 
and near-Earth impacts. Coupling via processes in the ionosphere, space weather 
drives changes throughout the ionosphere and also in structures on the Earth’s 
surface. One example is the hazard to electrical transmission networks as a 
consequence of geomagnetically induced currents (GIC). The GIC-hazard is one of 
the better recognised examples of Space Weather, appearing in many national 
risk registers. Instances of damage to power network transformers have been 
reported at high, mid and even comparatively low geomagnetic latitudes - recent 
studies have even suggested there may be a risk around the geomagnetic equator 
due to intensification from the equatorial electrojet. However, understanding 
the origin of the hazard, and providing alerts to power grid operators is 
challenging, due to the complexity of the physical linkages involved. 
Understanding the coupling between the solar wind and near-Earth/ground impacts 
may well require large scale dynamic models of the magnetosphere, for example 
using MHD approaches. The measurement, modelling, prediction and mitigation of 
the effects of Space Weather on the ground, such as unwanted geomagnetically 
induced currents in power systems, pipelines, and railway networks are required 
by the industries affected. In near-Earth space the same current systems lead 
to atmospheric expansion and increased drag on LEO spacecraft.

In this session we particularly encourage submissions from those involved in 
developing early warning of ground-level geomagnetic disturbances from solar 
wind measurements, members of industry, and from those involved in the 
modelling of the magnetosphere during geomagnetic storms with a regard to 
understanding the processes involved in the generation of ground-level and 
near-Earth disturbances.

Craig and Mark encourage you to submit an abstract: 
http://www.stce.be/esww2018/program/sessions.php

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