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1. Static Energy Deserves Greater Emphasis in the Meteorology Community

   https://doi.org/10.1175/BAMS-D-22-0013.1  

   Chavas, Daniel R; Peters, John (October 2023, Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society)

   Abstract Potential temperature and static energy are both useful quantities for understanding our atmosphere, yet static energy receives much less attention in weather science relative to climate science. Bridging this conceptual gap is important, as there is a pressing need for our communities to work together to understand and predict changing weather patterns in a warming world. Here we provide evidence for this gap in usage in American Meteorological Society journal publications and in introductory textbooks. We then describe key benefits of static energy for explaining basic concepts in atmospheric science. We encourage scientists and educators unfamiliar with static energy to familiarize themselves with the concept and consider incorporating it into their science and teaching. 

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2. The Loss of Starlink Satellites in February 2022: How Moderate Geomagnetic Storms Can Adversely Affect Assets in Low‐Earth Orbit

   https://doi.org/10.1029/2023SW003716  

   Baruah, Yoshita; Roy, Souvik; Sinha, Suvadip; Palmerio, Erika; Pal, Sanchita; Oliveira, Denny M; Nandy, Dibyendu (April 2024, Space Weather)

   Abstract On 3 February 2022, SpaceX launched 49 Starlink satellites, 38 of which unexpectedly de‐orbited. Although this event was attributed to space weather, definitive causality remained elusive because space weather conditions were not extreme. In this study, we identify solar sources of the interplanetary coronal mass ejections that were responsible for the geomagnetic storms around the time of launch of the Starlink satellites and for the first time, investigate their impact on Earth's magnetosphere using magnetohydrodynamic modeling. The model results demonstrate that the satellites were launched into an already disturbed space environment that persisted over several days. However, on performing comparative satellite orbital decay analyses, we find that space weather alone was not responsible but conspired together with a low‐altitude insertion and low satellite mass‐to‐area ratio to precipitate this unusual loss. Our work bridges space weather causality across the Sun–Earth system—with relevance for space‐based human technologies. 

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3. Enhancing Scientific Capacity in Africa – A Report on the 2023 International Space Weather Initiative School and the African Geophysical Society Annual Conference

   https://doi.org/10.1029/2024JA033447  

   Ngwira, Chigomezyo M; Yizengaw, Endawoke; Gopalswamy, Nat; Pulkkinen, Antti; Simpemba, Prospery (February 2025, Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics)

   Abstract Natural hazards, such as weather in space and the terrestrial environment, have the potential to disrupt critical technologies and infrastructures that contribute to national security and economic advancement. Enhancing our understanding of natural hazards is a central part to developing mitigation strategies to avert their impact on technological assets and/or infrastructure. With the support of the broader scientific community, the International Space Weather Initiative (ISWI) and the African Geophysical Society (AGS) successfully organized two international events in September–October 2023, namely, the ISWI space weather school and the AGS Annual Conference. Both events were locally hosted by the Physics Society of Zambia in Lusaka, Zambia. This paper is a summary report of the two events, highlighting efforts focused on advancing scientific research in Africa. The report also outlines some of the major challenges faced and discusses key considerations for organizing future meetings. 

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4. Predicting Interplanetary Shock Occurrence for Solar Cycle 25: Opportunities and Challenges in Space Weather Research

   https://doi.org/10.1029/2024SW003964  

   Oliveira, Denny M; Allen, Robert C; Alves, Livia R; Blake, Séan P; Carter, Brett A; Chakrabarty, Dibyendu; D’Angelo, Giulia; Delano, Kevin; Echer, Ezequiel; Ferradas, Cristian P; et al (August 2024, Space Weather)

   Abstract Interplanetary (IP) shocks are perturbations observed in the solar wind. IP shocks correlate well with solar activity, being more numerous during times of high sunspot numbers. Earth‐bound IP shocks cause many space weather effects that are promptly observed in geospace and on the ground. Such effects can pose considerable threats to human assets in space and on the ground, including satellites in the upper atmosphere and power infrastructure. Thus, it is of great interest to the space weather community to (a) keep an accurate catalog of shocks observed near Earth, and (b) be able to forecast shock occurrence as a function of the solar cycle (SC). In this work, we use a supervised machine learning regression model to predict the number of shocks expected in SC25 using three previously published sunspot predictions for the same cycle. We predict shock counts to be around 275 ± 10, which is ∼47% higher than the shock occurrence in SC24 (187 ± 8), but still smaller than the shock occurrence in SC23 (343 ± 12). With the perspective of having more IP shocks on the horizon for SC25, we briefly discuss many opportunities in space weather research for the remainder years of SC25. The next decade or so will bring unprecedented opportunities for research and forecasting effects in the solar wind, magnetosphere, ionosphere, and on the ground. As a result, we predict SC25 will offer excellent opportunities for shock occurrences and data availability for conducting space weather research and forecasting. 

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5. Time Series of Magnetic Field Parameters of Merged MDI and HMI Space-weather Active Region Patches as Potential Tool for Solar Flare Forecasting

   https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/ad60c3  

   Kosovich, Paul_A; Kosovichev, Alexander_G; Sadykov, Viacheslav_M; Kasapis, Spiridon; Kitiashvili, Irina_N; O’Keefe, Patrick_M; Ali, Aatiya; Oria, Vincent; Granovsky, Samuel; Chong, Chun_Jie; et al (September 2024, The Astrophysical Journal)

   Abstract Solar flare prediction studies have been recently conducted with the use of Space-Weather MDI (Michelson Doppler Imager on board Solar and Heliospheric Observatory) Active Region Patches (SMARPs) and Space-Weather HMI (Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager on board Solar Dynamics Observatory) Active Region Patches (SHARPs), which are two currently available data products containing magnetic field characteristics of solar active regions (ARs). The present work is an effort to combine them into one data product, and perform some initial statistical analyses in order to further expand their application in space-weather forecasting. The combined data are derived by filtering, rescaling, and merging the SMARP and SHARP parameters, which can then be spatially reduced to create uniform multivariate time series. The resulting combined MDI–HMI data set currently spans the period between 1996 April 4 and 2022 December 13, and may be extended to a more recent date. This provides an opportunity to correlate and compare it with other space-weather time series, such as the daily solar flare index or the statistical properties of the soft X-ray flux measured by the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites. Time-lagged cross correlation indicates that a relationship may exist, where some magnetic field properties of ARs lead the flare index in time. Applying the rolling-window technique makes it possible to see how this leader–follower dynamic varies with time. Preliminary results indicate that areas of high correlation generally correspond to increased flare activity during the peak solar cycle. 

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