CAWSES Space Weather Campaign
The first CAWSES Space Weather campaign kicked off with more than 40 participating international space
and ground-based programs joining to observe the space environment from the sun to the middle
atmosphere. There were two components of the campaign: (1) a space weather interval from March 25 to
April 6 and (2) an atmospheric coupling interval that spanned March and April 2004.
What Happened During the Campaign?
high speed stream
CME hits
outer belt
enhancement
storm
depledepletion
leading
edge of
stream
hits
outer belt
recovers
C3-flare & slow CME
HILDCAA event
quiet
two
moderate
storms
Figure 1: The CAWSES Space Weather Interval led off with a high speed stream beginning on March 25
and peaking on March 27. Solar wind speed, density and IMF Bz are shown in panels 1-3 from the top.
An enhancement of the outer belts late on March 28 followed the peak of the high speed stream with some
time delay (panel 4). A c3-class flare erupted on March 31 at 21:53 UT (observed by GOES 10 in panel 5)
and a slow CME was observed moving toward Earth at 220 km pos by SOHO/LASCO. The CME took
almost 3 days to hit the Earth on April 3 at 14:14 UT triggering a moderate magnetic storm (indicated in
panel 6). A magnetically quiet interval (April 1-2) preceeded the storm. The leading edge of a high-speed
stream hit the Earth on April 5 triggering another moderate storm. The more modest symH values in the
interval March 25-31 are associated with magnetic substorm activity triggered by fluctuating magnetic
fields within the high-speed stream interval.
Figure 2. C3-class flare captured by the GOES-12 SXI experiment.
Vsw (km/s)
University of Maryland SOHO/ celias/mtof/PM
700
Carrington Rot 2014
500
300
Vsw (km/s)
Mar 9
069
Mar 13
073
700
Mar 17
077
Mar 21
081
Mar 25
085
Mar 29
089
Apr 2
093
Apr 25
116
Apr 29
120
Carrington Rot 2015
500
300
Apr 5
096
Apr 8
100
Apr 13
104
Apr 17
108
Apr 21
112
Figure 3. Solar wind speed for the March – April 2004 atmospheric coupling interval of the CAWSES
campaign. There is a clear change in the high-speed streams that are impacting the Earth in March
compared to April. In March, solar wind streams are reaching very high velocities, coming from deep
within the coronal holes at the Sun. In April, the coronal holes have moved to higher solar latitudes and
Earth is experiencing solar wind from the edges of the coronal holes. These edges abut active regions with
closed field line geometries where CME’s are released. The two magnetic storms on April 3 and April 5
both were driven by ejecta at the leading edge of high-speed streams consistent with the relative location of
coronal holes and adjoining active regions. [private communication: Thomas Zurbuchen, University of
Michigan, ACE team, 2004]
Early Science Results:







Unusual undulating auroral forms appeared during both of these moderate storm intervals along
with triggering of equatorial bubbles [Larry Paxton, Johns Hopkins University, APL,
TIMED/GUVI instrument]
Development of prompt penetration electric fields observed from quiet to active conditions [Dave
Anderson]
New evidence for penetration to E-region heights of the effects of SAPs electric fields [Larisa
Goncharenko, MIT/Haystack]
Superdense plasma sheet on April 3 observed at geosynchronous orbit [Michelle Thomsen,
LANL]
Ionospheric data assimilated into the GAIM model to create a global 3D map of the ionosphere
based on ionosondes & TEC data [Jan Sojka, Utah State University]
Storm enhanced density plume, positive storm effects and enhanced subauroral electric field
enhancements at Millstone Hill Radar [Chaosong Huang, John Foster, MIT/Haystack]
Highest levels of odd nitrogen ever observed by the UARS satellite (launched 1994) with
corresponding depletions in ozone [Cora Randall, University of Colorado; James Russell III,
Hampton University]
1356 Å
1216 Å
Figure 4. Undulating auroral forms during the 3 April 2004 and repeated in the 5 April 2004 magnetic
storms. [Courtesy of Larry Paxton, JHUAPL, TIMED GUVI team, 2004]
Figure 5. 40 km NO2 enhancements in April 2004 are unprecedented in the UARS/POAM II/III data set.
The enhancements are coincident with the polar vortex. Implications are that these enhancements are due
to the powerful flares and associated energy particle precipitation that accompanied superstorms in
October and November 2003. [Courtesy of Cora Randall, University of Colorado, and James Russell III,
Hampton University, 2004]
What’s Next in the Campaign?
The plan is to provide a clearinghouse at http://www.bu.edu/cawses for observations, theory, modeling and
data assimilation associated with the 1st CAWSES campaign.
To make this as useful as possible, campaign participants are asked to provide:
 A high level summary of observations focusing on interesting new features and new science
questions that they raise.
 Links to summary plots & digital data where applicable
 New science issues to provide a focus for the worldwide campaign analysis
Continuing recruitment of participants: Interest is high in collecting as complete a data set as possible. If
you were observing during the CAWSES campaign interval, or are interested in contributing to the science
analysis of these events through modeling, data assimilation or theory, please contact one of the campaign
coordinators. Where appropriate model or assimilative model outputs will be treated as data sets and linked
into the campaign database for use in collaborative studies.
CAWSES Worldwide Maps. The following worldwide maps are under construction for the CAWSES
campaign:
 Global maps of ULF wave parameters
 Assimilative global ionospheric profiles from the GAIM model at Utah State University (courtesy
of Jan Sojka)
 Others are under consideration
The worldwide analysis of new science issues raised by the observations will be carried out in two modes:
 Virtual poster sessions & message boads: We are developing the capability for workshop
participants to upload presentations, easily access other presentations and communicate through
email or message boards. This was done for the April 2002 Sun-Earth Connections workshop at
APL and was simple and successful.
 Face-to-face presentations at international and national meetings. In addition to scheduling
appropriate sessions at international scientific meetings, we plan to enlist the help of national
CAWSES or related programs to increase the number of workshops where collaborative research
will take place. A list of relevant national and international meetings will be available on the
CAWSES website at Boston University.
The collaborative analysis of the global sun-to-Earth system with its linkages and complex feedbacks,
across disciplines and across national boundaries, in the 1 st CAWSES space weather campaign has begun.
The potential for new discoveries is high. Please join us. Check http://www.bu.edu/cawses for more
details as they become available.