European Geosciences Union
Division on Solar-Terrestrial Sciences
President: Margit Haberreiter (st@egu.eu)
Deputy President: Olga Malandraki
(omaland@astro.noa.gr)
The ST Division considers all aspects of solar and heliospheric physics, specifically the solar-terrestrial connection. It covers the physical processes occurring on the Sun, in the solar wind, as well as in Earth's magnetosphere and ionosphere. Solar activity (e.g. coronal mass ejections, solar flares, solar energetic particle events) and the response of the near-Earth space environment to these solar phenomena are studied on a wide-range of temporal and spatial scales. Data analysis and interpretation of space-borne and ground-based data, as well as theoretical studies and different modeling techniques are used to better our understanding of how our local star defines the neighborhood that we live in.
The 2019 Hannes Alfvén Medal is awarded to Daniel N. Baker for outstanding, multi-faceted contributions to the near-Earth space plasma environment research and predictions, Earth’s radiation belt environment monitoring, and planetary space plasma studies.
The 2019 Julius Bartels Medal is awarded to Masatoshi Yamauchi for extraordinary work in space physics and planetary science.
The 2019 Division Outstanding Early Career Scientists Award is awarded to Chao Xiong for outstanding research on space weather effects on the thermosphere and ionosphere.
The 2018 Hannes Alfvén Medal is awarded to Eckart Marsch for fundamental contributions to our understanding of the kinetic processes and plasma turbulence in the heliosphere, as well as for work that helped HELIOS become a successful mission and initiated the Solar Orbiter.
The 2018 Julius Bartels Medal is awarded to Ilya G. Usoskin for his key contributions to long-term changes of cosmic rays and solar activity, qualifying him as a founder of the space climate discipline.
The 2018 Division Outstanding Early Career Scientists Award is awarded to Natasha L. S. Jeffrey for her outstanding achievements in improving the standard model of fast electrons produced in solar flares, thereby eliminating the long-standing low-energy cut-off uncertainty.
The 2018 Outstanding Student Poster and PICO (OSPP) Award is awarded to Irina Zhelavskaya Systematic analysis of machine learning techniques for Kp prediction in the framework of the H2020 project ‘SWAMI’
The 2018 Outstanding Student Poster and PICO (OSPP) Award is awarded to Pauli Väisänen Long-term evolution of the power-law spectrum of galactic cosmic rays in 1953-2016
Recent research on the simultaneous displays of aurora in both hemispheres have lead to new knowledge of how large-scale asymmetries in the global magnetic field configuration can arise and be mitigated. This new understanding is contrary to what has been the consensus in the field, and was recently highlighted in a press release from the American Geophysical Union, followed by attention from numerous newspapers and magazines world wide. These new results, published in a series of papers since 2015 [1,2,3,4,5,6], …
The presence of Solar Energetic Particles (SEPs) poses a serious health risk to humans in space, can result in increased radiation doses for high-latitude aircraft flights and constitutes a serious hazard for the micro-electronics and other hardware elements of satellites, aircraft and launchers. These groups of end users need reliable forecasts of possible enhancements in the radiation flux level, days beforehand, in order to plan flights, operations and EVAs (extra-vehicular activities). Enhancements of SEP fluxes result from explosive phenomena in …
For decades, high-energy aspects of the Sun have been studied using indirect imaging and spectroscopy in hard X-rays (HXR) by the pioneering RHESSI spacecraft. However, advanced understanding of small-scale energy releases and particle acceleration in the outermost layer of the Sun require better sensitivity and dynamic range, which can be achieved by using direct focusing X-ray optics. Almost six years ago, in 2012, the Focusing Optics X-ray Solar Imager (FOXSI) rocket experiment first imaged the Sun in hard X-rays (4 …
This months post is written by the ST Divisions Early Career Scientist representative, Theresa Rexer. Are you ready for the EGU general assembly 2019? Got your abstract ready and submitted? No, what? Too early you say? No funds? As your Early Career Scientist Representative, let me tell you why now is the perfect time to start planning your trip to Vienna in April next year. Especially if you are an Early Career Scientist! EGU2019 aka the best meeting for Early …
The meeting programme for the EGU General Assembly 2019 (7–12 April, Vienna) was published this month. With more than 1000 scientific sessions, debates, short courses and side events, and close to 17,000 abstracts, it promises to be a varied and exciting meeting. If you have not yet registered, please do so by the end of today to get reduced registration rates.
This month the EGU has also issued a response to potential changes to the European Research Council, one of the world’s leading and most respected funders of frontier research, designed and governed by scientists. "Without this close relationship with the research community, the ERC’s ability to support the very best frontier science will be compromised," the statement reads.
The EGU has also announced a new award for Earth, planetary and space science journalism this month. The Angela Croome Award is the newest edition to the EGU awards and medals portfolio, joining the newly renamed Julia and Johannes Weertman Medal, the recently launched Katia and Maurice Krafft Award for geoscience outreach and engagement, and many other prestigious honours.
Last but not the least, we are sad to report that Lily Pereg, Deputy President and Programme Group Chair of the EGU Soil System Sciences (SSS) Division and Executive Editor of the SOIL journal, passed away in January. Read the obituary on the EGU website.