Speaker
Tamás Gombosi
(University of Michigan)
Description
A hundred years ago, the sun-Earth connection was of interest to only a small number of scientists. Solar activity had little effect on daily life. Today, a single strong solar eruption could bring civilization to its knees. Modern society has come to depend on technologies sensitive to solar radiation and geomagnetic storms. Particularly vulnerable are power grids, interplanetary robotic and human exploration, satellite operations and communications, and GPS navigation. These technologies are woven into the fabric of daily life, from health care and finance to basic utilities. This presentation will describe the basic processes controlling space weather together with observational, modeling and forecasting efforts.
