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Zhang J, Temmer M, Gopalswamy N, Malandraki O, Nitta NV, Patsourakos S, Shen F, Vršnak B, Wang Y, Webb D, Desai MI, Dissauer K, Dresing N, Dumbović M, Feng X, Heinemann SG, Laurenza M, Lugaz N, Zhuang B. Earth-affecting solar transients: a review of progresses in solar cycle 24. PROGRESS IN EARTH AND PLANETARY SCIENCE 2021; 8:56. [PMID: 34722120 PMCID: PMC8550066 DOI: 10.1186/s40645-021-00426-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2020] [Accepted: 04/26/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
This review article summarizes the advancement in the studies of Earth-affecting solar transients in the last decade that encompasses most of solar cycle 24. It is a part of the effort of the International Study of Earth-affecting Solar Transients (ISEST) project, sponsored by the SCOSTEP/VarSITI program (2014-2018). The Sun-Earth is an integrated physical system in which the space environment of the Earth sustains continuous influence from mass, magnetic field, and radiation energy output of the Sun in varying timescales from minutes to millennium. This article addresses short timescale events, from minutes to days that directly cause transient disturbances in the Earth's space environment and generate intense adverse effects on advanced technological systems of human society. Such transient events largely fall into the following four types: (1) solar flares, (2) coronal mass ejections (CMEs) including their interplanetary counterparts ICMEs, (3) solar energetic particle (SEP) events, and (4) stream interaction regions (SIRs) including corotating interaction regions (CIRs). In the last decade, the unprecedented multi-viewpoint observations of the Sun from space, enabled by STEREO Ahead/Behind spacecraft in combination with a suite of observatories along the Sun-Earth lines, have provided much more accurate and global measurements of the size, speed, propagation direction, and morphology of CMEs in both 3D and over a large volume in the heliosphere. Many CMEs, fast ones, in particular, can be clearly characterized as a two-front (shock front plus ejecta front) and three-part (bright ejecta front, dark cavity, and bright core) structure. Drag-based kinematic models of CMEs are developed to interpret CME propagation in the heliosphere and are applied to predict their arrival times at 1 AU in an efficient manner. Several advanced MHD models have been developed to simulate realistic CME events from the initiation on the Sun until their arrival at 1 AU. Much progress has been made on detailed kinematic and dynamic behaviors of CMEs, including non-radial motion, rotation and deformation of CMEs, CME-CME interaction, and stealth CMEs and problematic ICMEs. The knowledge about SEPs has also been significantly improved. An outlook of how to address critical issues related to Earth-affecting solar transients concludes this article.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jie Zhang
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, George Mason University, 4400 University Dr., MSN 3F3, Fairfax, VA 22030 USA
| | | | | | - Olga Malandraki
- National Observatory of Athens, Institute for Astronomy, Astrophysics, Space Applications and Remote Sensing, Penteli, Athens Greece
| | - Nariaki V. Nitta
- Lockheed Martin Solar and Astrophysics Laboratory, Palo Alto, CA USA
| | | | - Fang Shen
- SIGMA Weather Group, State Key Laboratory of Space Weather, National Space Science Center, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190 China
| | - Bojan Vršnak
- Hvar Observatory, Faculty of Geodesy, University of Zagreb, Kaciceva 26, HR-10000 Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Yuming Wang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Geospace Environment, Department of Geophysics and Planetary Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230026 PR China
| | - David Webb
- ISR, Boston College, 140 Commonwealth Ave., Chestnut Hill, MA 02467 USA
| | - Mihir I. Desai
- Southwest Research Institute, 6220 Culebra Road, San Antonia, TX 78023 USA
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX 78249 USA
| | - Karin Dissauer
- Institute of Physics, University of Graz, Graz, Austria
- NorthWest Research Association, Boulder, CO USA
| | - Nina Dresing
- Institut fuer Experimentelle und Angewandte Physik, University of Kiel, Kiel, Germany
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
| | - Mateja Dumbović
- Hvar Observatory, Faculty of Geodesy, University of Zagreb, Kaciceva 26, HR-10000 Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Xueshang Feng
- SIGMA Weather Group, State Key Laboratory of Space Weather, National Space Science Center, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190 China
| | - Stephan G. Heinemann
- Institute of Physics, University of Graz, Graz, Austria
- Max-Planck-Institut für Sonnensystemforschung, Justus-von-Liebig-Weg 3, 37077 Göttingen, Germany
| | - Monica Laurenza
- INAF-Istituto di Astrofisica e Planetologia Spaziali, Via del Fosso del Cavaliere, 100, I-00133 Rome, Italy
| | - Noé Lugaz
- Space Science Center and Department of Physics, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH USA
| | - Bin Zhuang
- Space Science Center and Department of Physics, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH USA
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Knipp DJ, Pette DV, Kilcommons LM, Isaacs TL, Cruz AA, Mlynczak MG, Hunt LA, Lin CY. Thermospheric Nitric Oxide Response to Shock-led Storms. SPACE WEATHER : THE INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF RESEARCH & APPLICATIONS 2017; 15:325-342. [PMID: 28824340 PMCID: PMC5562409 DOI: 10.1002/2016sw001567] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/09/2023]
Abstract
We present a multi-year superposed epoch study of the Sounding of the Atmosphere using Broadband Emission Radiometry nitric oxide (NO) emission data. NO is a trace constituent in the thermosphere that acts as cooling agent via infrared (IR) emissions. The NO cooling competes with storm time thermospheric heating resulting in a thermostat effect. Our study of nearly 200 events reveals that shock-led interplanetary coronal mass ejections (ICMEs) are prone to early and excessive thermospheric NO production and IR emissions. Excess NO emissions can arrest thermospheric expansion by cooling the thermosphere during intense storms. The strongest events curtail the interval of neutral density increase and produce a phenomenon known as thermospheric 'overcooling'. We use Defense Meteorological Satellite Program particle precipitation data to show that interplanetary shocks and their ICME drivers can more than double the fluxes of precipitating particles that are known to trigger the production of thermospheric NO. Coincident increases in Joule heating likely amplify the effect. In turn, NO emissions more than double. We discuss the roles and features of shock/sheath structures that allow the thermosphere to temper the effects of extreme storm time energy input and explore the implication these structures may have on mesospheric NO. Shock-driven thermospheric NO IR cooling likely plays an important role in satellite drag forecasting challenges during extreme events.
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Affiliation(s)
- D J Knipp
- Aerospace Engineering Sciences, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO
- High Altitude Observatory, National Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, CO
| | - D V Pette
- Aerospace Engineering Sciences, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO
| | - L M Kilcommons
- Aerospace Engineering Sciences, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO
| | - T L Isaacs
- Aerospace Engineering Sciences, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO
| | - A A Cruz
- Aerospace Engineering Sciences, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO
| | - M G Mlynczak
- Science Directorate, NASA Langley Research Center, Hampton, Virginia, USA
| | - L A Hunt
- Science Systems and Applications, Inc., Hampton, Virginia, USA
| | - C Y Lin
- Physics Department, University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, Texas, USA
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