Topical Issue "Severe Space Weather Events of May 2024 and Their Impacts"

TheJournal of Space Weather and Space Climate (JSWSC) opens a Topical Issue "Severe Space Weather Events of May 2024 and Their Impacts", deadline 28th February 2025

The space weather events of May 2024 were in many aspects the strongest of the last two decades, as indicated by comprehensive measurements and impacts recorded worldwide. This series of events was initiated by the solar active region AR3664, which gave rise to numerous large flares, some having exceeded the X5 level, and associated moderately large fast CMEs. Many of them were Earth-directed and several exceeded 1,000 km/s launch speed.

Due to the rapid succession and varying launch speeds, several CMEs merged and interacted as they travelled through the interplanetary medium, leading to enhanced effects on the Earth’s space environment. They gave rise to a geomagnetic storm commencing on 10th May which rose to the G5 level persisting through subsequent days with observable auroras at low magnetic latitudes (well below 50°) in both hemispheres.

These space weather conditions resulted in strong radio blackouts, a moderate solar energetic particle event, including GLE #74 early on 11th May 2024, and radiation-belt enhancements throughout the following days. Reports from around the globe suggest impacts on critical national infrastructures. Also, a degradation of GNSS systems’ performance was clearly seen across several countries.

This topical issue welcomes submissions focusing on these events, across various domains which include, but are not limited to, observations, simulations/modeling, and impacts, that cover all aspects of these severe space weather events throughout the first half of May 2024.

Manuscripts must be submitted via the JSWSC online submission tool. Guidelines for submission of papers are found on the JSWSC website under the tab "Instruction for Authors".

Deadline: 28th February 2025

All manuscripts will be peer-reviewed according to the quality standards of international scientific journals. The type of contributions must fit the style of JSWSC. All manuscripts should contain enough new insight, present the results against a properly referenced background of existing work, and present adequate evidence that supports the conclusions. Accepted papers are published upon review and acceptance, without waiting for the other papers, and are freely available to everyone via the JSWSC website. JSWSC offers the possibility to include electronic material, such as animations, movies, codes and data.

Topical Editor-in-Chief (T-EiC):

• Jaroslav Urbář (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. ), Institute of Atmospheric Physics, CAS, Czech Republic

Topical Editors (TE):

• Mateja Dumbovic (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. ), Hvar Observatory, Faculty of Geodesy, University of Zagreb, Croatia
• Lauri Holappa (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. ), University of Oulu, Finland
• Paolo Romano (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. ), INAF - Osservatorio Astrofisico di Catania, Italy
• Iulia Chifu (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. ), University of Göttingen, Germany
• Jens Berdermann (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. ), German Aerospace Center, Germany
• Stefan Hofmeister (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. ), Columbia University, USA
• Miroslav Hanzelka (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. ), GFZ Potsdam, Germany

For questions regarding this Topical Issue, please, contact the T-EiC. For questions concerning the submission process, please contact the Editorial Office (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. ).

Topical Issue “Swarm 10-Year Anniversary”, deadline 15 February 2025

The Journal of Space Weather and Space Climate (JSWSC) opens the Topical Issue “Swarm 10-Year Anniversary”, deadline 15 February 2025.

The topical issue (TI) is dedicated to new results from ESA’s Swarm mission, in particular to investigations of the Magnetosphere-Ionosphere Coupling, Ionospheric and Thermospheric processes, and their implications for Space Weather, including potential impacts on critical infrastructure. This issue seeks to bring together cutting-edge studies that shed light on the quiet-time and dynamic ionosphere, including the study of Alfvén waves, Equatorial Spread-F events, plasma bubbles, ULF plasma waves, Field-Aligned Currents etc.

Swarm is ESA’s first constellation mission for Earth Observation. The mission consists of three identical satellites, A(lpha), B(ravo), and C(harlie), which were launched on 22 November 2013 into a low altitude (~500 km) near-polar orbit. Swarm is dedicated to creating a highly detailed survey of Earth’s geomagnetic field and its temporal evolution, complemented by electric field and neutral atmosphere observations in the topside ionosphere-thermosphere. After an initial nominal mission of four years, until November 2017, Swarm was granted two four-year extensions, with an option to further extend the mission, possibly towards covering two solar cycles. Swarm data presents an invaluable opportunity to validate, refine, and augment existing knowledge in the upper atmosphere domain.

The European Space Agency organized the Swarm 10th Anniversary and Science Conference, 08–12 April 2024, in Copenhagen (Denmark). This conference aimed to bring together the wider international scientific community to celebrate the first 10 years of the Swarm mission, to explore and develop scientific applications and synergies, and to drive Swarm towards future achievements. The conference provided a unique and timely forum to share the state-of-the-art in research and applications, to review mission achievements, and to set the stage for the upcoming Swarm investigations. Presentations on the use of Swarm data for operational purposes and demonstrations of novel scientific applications contributed to a highly successful event. The meeting was also pivotal to outline the international collaboration in the exploitation of data, to propose new science goals, to identify new challenges in view of the extension of the mission beyond 2025.

While this Topical Issue arises from the Swarm 10-year anniversary conference, contributions are not limited to participants of the conference. The TI is open to all submissions that fit its scope. Submissions focusing on the near-Earth space science performed with Swarm, including external fields (e.g. magnetosphere-ionosphere-thermosphere coupling, quiet-time ionosphere, dynamic ionosphere etc.) and space weather aspects, are strongly encouraged. The integration of observations and models is particularly welcomed, fostering a deeper understanding of ionospheric physics within the context of space weather.

Guidelines for submission of papers are found on the JSWSC website under the tab "Instruction for Authors".

Deadline: 15 February 2025

All manuscripts will be peer-reviewed according to the quality standards of international scientific journals. The type of contributions must fit the style of JSWSC. All manuscripts should contain enough new insight, present the results against a properly referenced background of existing work, and present adequate evidence that supports the conclusions. Accepted papers are published in electronic format only and are freely available to everyone via the JSWSC website. JSWSC offers the possibility to include electronic material, such as animations, movies, codes, and data.

Topical Editor-in-Chief (T-EiC):

• Georgios Balasis (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. ), National Observatory of Athens (NOA), Greece

Topical Editors (TE):

• Octav Marghitu (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. ), Institute for Space Sciences (ISS), Bucharest, Romania
• Johnathan Burchill (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. ), Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Calgary, Canada
• Enkelejda Qamili (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. ), ESRIN, European Space Agency (ESA), Italy
• Karl M. Laundal (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. ), Birkeland Centre for Space Science, University of Bergen, Norway

For questions regarding this Topical Issue, please, contact the T-EiC. For questions concerning the submission process, please contact the Editorial Office (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. ).

Topical Issue "Fast and slow solar winds: Origin, evolution and Space Weather effects"

The Journal of Space Weather and Space Climate (JSWSC) opens a Topical Issue "Fast and slow solar winds: Origin, evolution and Space Weather effects", deadline 31st May 2025.

The Topical Issue (TI) is dedicated to the nuanced exploration of Heliospheric Solar-Wind Dynamics and their implications for Space Weather. This issue seeks to bring together cutting-edge studies that shed light on the complex interplay between slow and fast solar winds, their effects on geomagnetic activity, and the propagation of solar transients.

The heliospheric solar-wind structure, arising from the intricate interplay between slow and fast winds, constitutes the primary instigator of minor to moderate geomagnetic activity. Furthermore, it serves as the medium for the propagation of other solar transients. Stream interaction and co-rotating interaction regions are prolific sources of shocks, compression, and rarefaction regions, well-established contributors to recurrent geomagnetic effects on Earth. In light of these dynamics, a comprehensive understanding of the heliospheric solar wind, ambient magnetic field, and their origins is indispensable for the validation and enhancement of Space Weather forecasting efforts. The objective of this TI is to collect and present new studies on the origin, evolution, and Space-Weather effects of both fast and slow solar winds using observational data and modeling approaches. Recent missions, such as the Parker Solar Probe and Solar Orbiter, in conjunction with established missions like the Solar Dynamics Observatory and the Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatories, offer a wealth of information. This data presents an invaluable opportunity to validate, refine, and augment existing knowledge in the solar wind domain.

This Topical Issue is built on two sessions titled "All About the Solar Wind", held during the European Space Weather Weeks 2023 (CD-02) and 2024 (CD7). However, contributions to this TI are not limited to participants ESWW. The TI will be open to all submissions that fit its scope. Submissions focusing on solar wind sources for both slow and fast winds, mechanisms of solar wind acceleration/outflow, dynamics of stream interaction, and the configuration of the magnetic field and plasma topology at the source surface and within the inner heliosphere are encouraged. The integration of observations and models is particularly welcomed, fostering a deeper understanding of solar and heliospheric physics within the context of space weather.

Manuscripts must be submitted via the JSWSC online submission tool. Guidelines for submission of papers are found on the JSWSC website under the tab "Instruction for Authors".

All manuscripts will be peer-reviewed according to the quality standards of international scientific journals. The type of contributions must fit the style of JSWSC. All manuscripts should contain enough new insight, present the results against a properly referenced background of existing work, and present adequate evidence that supports the conclusions. Upon acceptance, papers are published in electronic format, without waiting for the TI to be complete, and are freely available to everyone via the JSWSC website. JSWSC offers the possibility to include electronic material, such as animations, movies, codes and data.

Topical Editor-in-Chief (T-EiC):

• Stephan G. Heinemann (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. ), University of Helsinki, Finland
• Mateja Dumbović (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. ), Hvar Observatory, Faculty of Geodesy, University of Zagreb

Topical Editors (TE):

• Eleanna Asvestari (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. ), University of Helsinki, Finland
• Matt Owens (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. ), University of Reading, UK
• Krzysztof Barczynski (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. ), ETH Zurich and PMOD/WRC Davos, Switzerland
• Stephanie (Steph) Yardley (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. ), University of Northumbria, UK

For questions regarding this Topical Issue, please, contact the T-EiC. For questions concerning the submission process, please contact the Editorial Office (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. ).