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SUMMARY:Foreseeing Space Weather - Dr Jim Wild\, Lancaster University
DTSTART:20130222T173000Z
DTEND:20130222T183000Z
UID:TALK39999@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:Janet Gibson
DESCRIPTION:Abstract\n\n\nThe concept of space weather describes the varie
 ty of changing environmental conditions within the space between the Sun a
 nd the Earth\, driven by fluctuations in solar activity.  On the timescale
  of human evolution the Sun has remained broadly unchanged.  Small fluctua
 tions in the rate of solar energy output combined with cyclic variations i
 n the Earth’s orbit are likely to have driven long-term global climate c
 hange\, but through human eyes these effects have been either gradual or u
 tterly imperceptible.  However\, humankind’s scientific curiosity over t
 he last 400 years has advanced our understanding of the Sun’s dynamic na
 ture tremendously.  Galileo’s 17th century observations of the Sun revea
 led sun spots\, dark features on the solar disk that waxed and waned over 
 several weeks.  Encouraged by advances in atomic physics\, early 20th cent
 ury physicists theorised that electromagnetic emissions from the Sun were 
 responsible for the majestic aurora borealis or “northern lights”\, hi
 nting that solar activity must be highly variable over timescales of minut
 es.  But it was the advent of the space age in the latter half of the 20th
  century that revealed the true nature of the space environment surroundin
 g our planet.  Following the discovery of radiation belts surrounding the 
 planet by the first Earth-orbiting US satellite came the first direct meas
 urements of the solar wind – the blizzard of electrically charged partic
 les constantly emitted by the Sun. \n\nWhile the Earth’s atmosphere and 
 magnetic field shield the surface of the Earth from the biological hazards
  of space weather\, the same is not true for some of the technologies deve
 loped in the last century.  Our society’s increased exploitation of spac
 e for communications\, defence and monitoring relies upon satellites that 
 operate in the harsh radiation environment above the Earth’s projective 
 atmosphere.  Aircrews and airline passengers spend significant periods abo
 ve the densest and most projective portion of the lower atmosphere and ris
 k exposure to increased radiation doses.  The ionosphere’s refractive ef
 fects on radio waves determines the viability of many communications links
 \, but these are liable to change rapidly due solar activity while geomagn
 etic storms have the potential to disrupt electricity generating and distr
 ibution systems.  In all of these cases\, the natural processes in the spa
 ce environment remain the same as ever\, but our adoption and reliance on 
 vulnerable technology forces us to prepare for the increased hazard to soc
 iety due to space weather.\n\nBiography\n\n\nDr Jim Wild is a scientist st
 udying the space environment and the links between the Sun\, the Earth and
  other planets.  As a Reader in Space Plasma Physics in the Department of 
 Physics at Lancaster University\, his research investigates the physics be
 hind the aurora borealis\, the impact of space weather on human technology
  and the interaction between the Martian atmosphere and the interplanetary
  environment.  As well as exploiting an international flotilla of satellit
 es\, Jim’s research has regularly taken him to the high arctic to carry 
 out field work.\nAs a passionate science communicator\, Jim has establishe
 d himself as a popular speaker for public audiences and he frequently cont
 ributes to the print and broadcast media.  He is also a champion of the Au
 roraWatch project\, which alerts members of the public when the northern l
 ights might be seen over the UK.  Jim is a Fellow of the Royal Astronomica
 l Society and in 2010\, was awarded a Science in Society Fellowship by the
  UK Science and Technology Facilities Council. 
LOCATION:LMH\, Lady Mitchell Hall
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