ESA Space Weather Working Team (SWWT)

The SWWT is a forum open to European experts in a variety of both scientific and applied fields relating to space weather. The SWWT plays an important role in advising ESA in space weather strategy and acts as a forum for discussion amongst the European space weather community. The SWWT is responsible for promoting coordinated European space weather activities at both national and industry levels. The SWWT seeks to identify and discuss potential collaborations and/or synergies with other structures or organisations such as the EC FP7 & COST programmes and others. SWWT membership is open to representatives of any European university, institute, company, or international organisation currently undertaking space weather related activities or affected by space weather. For further information about becoming a member of the SWWT, contact A. Glover or M. Bisi.

Terms of Reference

SWWT Terms of Reference

Contact Information

If you want to send emails to the SWWT mailing list, please use the address: swwt@jiscmail.ac.uk
If you want to change your list subscription or visit the list archives, please visit the URL: www.jiscmail.ac.uk/swwt

Topical Working Groups

Several Topical Working Groups (TWGs) maintain regular contact via email. TWGs are responsible for initiating projects, discussing new advances and/or progress in existing research and service development. All members of the SWWT are invited to participate in the TWGs. The current list of TWGs is as follows:

Drivers of Space Weather (e.g. solar, S-T, including future missions and instrumentation)
- Subgroup: Solar Storms (Solar Flares, CMEs, SEP events), spokeperson: Olga Malandraki
Ground Effects (GIC, prospecting, tourism), spokesperson: Vacant
Atmospheric Effects (incl. drag), spokesperson: Sean Bruinsma
Ionospheric Effects, spokesperson: Vacant
Spacecraft, Launcher and Aircraft Environments, spokesperson: Guenther Reitz
Education, Outreach and Emerging Markets, spokesperson: Vacant, co-spokesperson G. Cessateur
Space Weather Forecast, spokesperson: Shaun Bloomfield, co-spokesperson: Vacant
Radio for Space Weather: Mauro Messerotti and Mario Bisi

SWWT Documents

SWWT History

The SWWT was set up to coincide with the start of ESA's two parallel space weather studies in 1999 and originally consisted of approximately 30 SWWT members coming from a variety of backgrounds and ESA member states. During the period in which the parallel studies were carried out, the main SWWT goal was to ensure that both the consortia led by RAL and Alcatel-Space were aware of as many European space weather related assets as possible. In 2003 the SWWT became open to the wider European space weather community during the Space Weather Application Pilot Project. During this phase, the SWWT assisted ESA in evaluating the lessons learned from the operation of the pilot project and how these changes could be implemented within a strategy for any future space weather programme. With SWWT membership steadily growing it was decided in 2006 to create the SWWT Steering Board (third phase of the SWWT). On Jan 1st 2009 the SWWT entered its fourth phase with the formal launch of the ESA Space Situational Awareness Preparatory Programme (SSA-PP). Today the SWWT has grown into a community of more than 200 members covering a wide range of disciplines and nationalities. The SWWT was initially chaired by Dr. Roger Gendrin. Thereafter, Prof. Willi Riedler chaired the SWWT between December 2001 and May 2003. Following this, Dr. Francois Lefeuvre was elected by the membership in June 2003, acting in this capacity until early 2006. Following elections, Dr. Mike Hapgood took up the post of Chair in June 2006. In 2009 Dr. Norma Crosby was elected as SWWT Chair, in 2012 Prof. Stefaan Poedts (K.U. Leuven) was elected as Chair and most recently Dr Mario Bisi (STFC UKRI) has been elected as SWWT Chair.

Dates of the SWWT Steering Board Meetings

14th June 2012, Royal Observatory of Belgium, Brussels, Belgium
30th November 2011, during ESWW8, Namur, Belgium
29th June 2011, Royal Observatory of Belgium, Brussels, Belgium
15th November 2010, during ESWW7 (November 2010), Brugge, Belgium
17th June 2010, Belgian Institute for Space Aeronomy, Brussels, Belgium
17th November 2009, ESWW6, Brugge, Belgium
3rd September 2009, Belgian Institute for Space Aeronomy, Brussels, Belgium
3rd October 2007, ESA HQ, Paris
11th July 2007, ESTEC, Noordwijk
26th January 2007, ESTEC, Noordwijk (A Space Weather Strategy for Europe)