Space Weather Activities at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)

Abstract: 

Space weather describes variations in the space environment driven by activity on the sun, including solar flares, radio bursts, solar wind, coronal mass ejections, and solar energetic charged particles. These phenomena can impact systems and technologies both in orbit and on Earth, including the electric power grid, satellites, and precision navigation applications. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is the nation's official source for space weather forecasts, warnings, and alerts. The Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC) within the National Weather Service (NWS) monitors space weather conditions around the clock to keep key industries informed of potential space weather hazards. Predicting and specifying space weather activity relies heavily on satellite observations. NOAA's Office of Space Weather Observations is responsible for sustaining and enhancing critical satellite observations from multiple orbits. This talk will provide an overview of space weather and insight into NOAA's role in observing and monitoring space weather conditions.

Speaker:  

Dr. Erin Lynch is a physical scientist in NOAA’s Office of Space Weather Observations (SWO) where she works on formulating NOAA’s future space weather observing system, Space Weather Next. She completed her PhD in Atmospheric and Oceanic Science and BS in physics and astronomy at the University of Maryland, College Park. Her dissertation research applied ensemble data assimilation techniques to data-driven space weather prediction models. Prior to joining SWO, she was a member of the science teams for several satellite instruments at NOAA’s Center for Satellite Applications and Research (STAR) including the COSMIC-2 GNSS Radio Occultation sensor and the JPSS Cross-track Infrared Sounder.