Details

Autor(en) / Beteiligte

• Allen, R. C.
• Ho, G. C.
• Jian, L. K.
• Mason, G. M.
• Vines, S. K.
• Lario, D.

Titel

Predictive Capabilities and Limitations of Stream Interaction Region Observations at Different Solar Longitudes

Ist Teil von

• Space Weather, 2020-04, Vol.18 (4), p.n/a

Ort / Verlag

Washington: John Wiley & Sons, Inc

Erscheinungsjahr

2020

Link zum Volltext

Quelle

Elektronische Zeitschriftenbibliothek - Frei zugängliche E-Journals

Beschreibungen/Notizen

• Advanced warning of a stream interaction region (SIR) or corotating interaction region (CIR) impinging upon the magnetosphere of Earth is important for space weather forecasting, due to the ability of SIRs/CIRs to trigger geomagnetic storms and affect ionospheric composition and winds. However, a focused investigation of the likelihood that either an L5 monitor or Earth‐trailing “string‐of‐pearl” constellation of satellites would be able to serve as an effective warning buoy for SIRs/CIRs that will affect the near‐Earth space environment has yet to be extensively performed. Through comparing 10 years of SIRs/CIRs observed at L1 and at STEREO, we have investigated the probability of sequentially detecting SIRs/CIRs at two locations as a function of the difference in heliospheric longitude and latitudinal separation between the two spacecraft. By examining the probability of repeat detection of SIRs/CIRs using variable separation distances between two observing points, we explore the utility of an Earth‐trailing monitor for SIR/CIR predictability (i.e., 74.6% of SIRs observed at L5 reach L1 within ±3 days of rigid corotation). While the probability of predicting the occurrence of SIRs/CIRs at another spacecraft decreases with longitudinal separation, there is no significant dependence on latitude. The primary source of error in reliably predicting the arrival time of an SIR/CIR is uncertainty in the rotational speed of the structure. While an L5 monitor would be an advancement in our operational warning ability, an Earth‐trailing “string‐of‐pearls” constellation utilizing multiple point of measurements would engender much more certainty in predicting the arrival time of SIRs/CIRs. Plain Language Summary Stream interaction regions (SIRs) form when fast solar wind overtakes slow solar wind. These structures are long‐lasting and can corotate (i.e., a corotating interaction region) with the Sun, allowing for these structures to be observed by a warning buoy prior to encountering the Earth. When SIRs hit the magnetic field surrounding the Earth, they can trigger geomagnetic storms, which can negatively affect spacecraft and astronaut health, communications, and the electric grid. For this reason, predicting when an SIR may hit the Earth is an important problem in space weather. This paper investigates the utility of deploying spacecraft to different locations around the Sun to act as a warning buoy system for these solar wind structures. For example, we find a 74.6% (46.1%) chance of predicting the arrival of an SIR at Earth within ±3 (±1) days after being observed at the Earth‐trailing Sun‐Earth Lagrange point, L5. Key Points Probability of repeated SIR/CIR observations was tested against spacecraft longitudinal separation The peak angular speed between repeat SIR/CIR observations is 14.375° per day, corresponding to a solar latitude of ~20° Latitudinal separation between the spacecraft did not significantly affect the probability of recurrent SIR/CIR detection