STORMS IN SPACE = PROBLEMS ON EARTH
Weather in space defines by the changing conditions in the natural space environment of the solar system. Space weather “storms” are triggered by events occurring on the Sun and in the interplanetary space. Propagating away from the Sun, they eventually impact the near-Earth environment and number of critical technologies on Earth. Their adverse effects on Earth observation, navigation and communication satellites, energy infrastructure, transport, radio communication etc., result in reduced reliability or disruption of these critical systems, which, in turn, impacts the global economy and pose the risks to human safety.
The importance of the sustainable and reliable space weather monitoring and prediction cannot be overstated. These services are used by commercial airlines, the satellite industry, drilling and surveying operations, power grid operators, by pipeline designers and operators and users of satellite-based navigation systems. Emergency management agencies around the world are developing procedures to manage the risks of severe space weather events as part of their overall risk management approach.
This plenary lecture provides the main information on the wide spectrum of the space weather phenomena and their detrimental impacts on different infrastructure. The historical and modern examples of problems are demonstrated following the chain of several extreme events from their origin on the Sun to their Earth.
The references to the international organizations dealing with space weather topics, such as World Data Centres, International Space Environment Services, WMO and others are also provided.