Research in Support of Operational Space Weather Forecasting

Abstract:

Space Weather Operations can be defined as the specification and forecasting of the space environment for societal benefit. It is the potential benefit to society that is the justification for much space physics research and it helps to highlight the importance of the NASA Sun Earth Connections and Heliophysics programs. Scientific advances in the last few years have brought the first physics-base space weather forecast model into operations. Observations of the sun at higher cadences and improved spectral and temporal resolution have opened new windows on the processes that drive space weather. However, there are still some fundamental scientific questions, relevant to space weather forecasting, the answers to which still elude us. In this presentation I will review some of the most pressing needs of the space weather forecasters and the scientific advances and new observations that would greatly enhance the accuracy of space weather products and predictions.