More about this network
More details about this Network can be found at go to website
This ESF study is needed to complement detailed investigations already underway of directly observable solar (i.e. visible and ultraviolet) radiation and the impact of variations in that on weather and climate. Such direct research is already well established in Europe, while the indirect link between solar and cosmic rays and the earth’s weather via electrical processes has so far been studied more actively in the USA and Russia. This ESF Network aims to remedy this research deficit while complementing existing programmes such as those carried out by the International Space Institute in Bern, Switzerland.
The potential benefits of such a study are not restricted to weather and climate forecasting, but also extend to some practical issues, which include:
- malfunctioning of earth-orbiting satellites (where both ESA and NASA are active).
- disturbances to "high tech" systems on both the ground and in near space, such as conducting pipelines, and the satellite based GPS (Global Positioning System).
- hazards to crew and passengers aboard high-flying aircraft, especially at high latitudes, and especially in the future when there may be more supersonic airliners flying at greater altitudes.
The primary focus of the study, however, is on the impact on weather and climate of energetic charged particles from two sources: the sun, cosmic radiation, and variations in the magnetic field. Such charged particles interact with the earth’s middle and lower atmosphere in several ways. One is by depositing their energy there and as a result creating ions either directly or via bremmstrahlung radiation. These particles also alter the chemistry of the atmosphere and may have produced small holes in the arctic ozone layer. They can also affect the nucleation of water droplets to form clouds, and there is some recent evidence that energetic solar protons help create high level cirrus clouds, reducing the amount of radiation reaching the ground and so exerting a slight cooling influence.
There may also be a significant effect on weather caused by changes in the overall distribution of electrical potential in the earth’s atmosphere. Of particular interest are recently discovered upward discharges from thunderclouds into the ionosphere, which manifest themselves as blue jets and red sprites extending up to 90 km altitude. These heat the atmosphere and cause ionisation.
An important aspect of this ESF Network is the study of this upward D.C current caused by these discharges into the ionosphere, and particularly the return current flowing through the fair weather atmosphere. More generally the Network will study the response of the global electric circuit to changes in the solar and cosmic flux, and relate this to variations in cloud amounts. To accomplish this, the Network will draw on existing projects and data sets collected from a variety of sources, and consult a large number of experts both in Europe and the rest of the world.
