The Space Weather Observatory in Antarctica plays a crucial role in understanding the rarest, most damaging space weather events that impact on critical infrastructure such as satellites and power lines.
The Space Weather Observatory is funded as part of PRESCIENT (UK Polar Research Expertise for Science and Society).
The Sun undergoes a periodic cycle of activity ranging from solar minimum to solar maximum over an average of 11 years. Geomagnetic storms that impact society and our technology can occur at any point during the 11-year cycle though they tend to occur more frequently close to solar maximum.
SWO will deliver sustained observations of space weather parameters, through the 2025 solar maximum and the descending phase of the solar cycle, that will support numerical modelling that informs the UK Risk Register on space weather threats. Our Antarctic network will be expanded with new instruments and greater geographic range to fill previous observational gaps
Year-round observation of space weather events acquired at key sites including Halley VI, Rothera and in the deep field, to improve our understanding of the complex chain of Sun-to-Earth processes. They underpin assessment of the likely impact of severe space weather events and design of mitigation guidelines. SWO will supply high quality measurements to seven global instrument networks, levarging considerable scientific return and allow us to track the more hazardous solar maximum conditions.
SWO provides expertise and resurces. Research and mathematical modelling generated from our space weather sustained observations programme are critical for shaping industry policy thinking on resilience to natural hazards. and supporting the government Space Weather Preparedness Strategy
Data are freely available to researchers, enabling collaborative research activities to increase our understanding of the science of space weather in a world that is becoming increasingly susceptible to this natural hazard.
Our research ambition for this project is to understand how solar variations affect the Earth’s space radiation environment, upper atmosphere and climate in the Polar Regions; and to use this knowledge to inform industry and policy decision-making and provide real-time situation awareness for satellite operators. We will:
Science Leader - IMP 1
BAS Science Strategy Executive Group, Space Weather and Atmosphere team, BAS Executive team
Middle Atmosphere Vertical Coupling Analyst
BAS Science Management Team, BAS-Arctic Working Group, Space Weather and Atmosphere team
3 December, 2021
A rare total solar eclipse in Antarctica this weekend (Saturday 4 December) is giving researchers a unique opportunity to learn more about how solar eclipses affect space weather. The next …
We exploit the data collected by a suite of instruments in Antarctica to study space weather events. These are spread between the research stations at Halley and Rothera along with a number of field stations.
