African Space Weather Workshop

我们寻求资金支持非洲空间天气讲习班，其目的是建立一个国际小组，以加强低收入国家空间天气监测的能力。该提案旨在利用英国在空间天气监测领域的世界领先能力，调查和解决影响DAC清单上国家的具体问题。空间天气是一个术语，用来描述太阳驱动的地球磁层-电离层系统的变化如何影响现代技术，从而影响人类活动。迄今为止，对空间天气的研究主要集中在极地地区。然而，新兴经济体需要阐明赤道区域的空间天气。地球表面的地磁感应电流（gic）对现代技术基础设施构成了最严重的空间天气威胁。GIC是由太阳风/磁层相互作用驱动的，这些相互作用驱动空间中变化的电场和磁场，从而再次在地面上感应电流。特别强烈的太阳风暴导致电力和通信中断。GIC还可能导致石油和天然气管道中产生电流，导致管道退化，这是塞拉利昂和尼日利亚等产油国特别担心的问题。此外，空间天气的变化将影响无线电通信，因为电离层条件的变化导致无线电信号闪烁。这可能导致GPS和高频无线电信号被吸收，以及显著的GPS位置和授时误差。在赤道地区，一个特别的挑战是高密度的赤道等离子体气泡，它们可能在严重的空间天气事件期间跨越地平线。赤道地区特有的电离层电流系统称为赤道电喷流，它可以放大空间天气的影响。无线电通信中断将对赤道地区的日常生活、商业和救灾产生不利影响。莱斯特大学是世界领先的空间天气监测专家，利用地面和空间仪器探测极地地区的空间天气。他们的研究成果达到了国际一流水平。在这项提议中，我们的目标是利用莱斯特大学在这一领域的专业知识，召集一个由科学家和工程师组成的国际团队，在莱斯特大学举办为期一周的非洲空间天气研讨会。讲习班的目的是组建一个国际小组，集中精力提高非洲空间天气监测、仪器、教育和研究的能力。讲习班将使国际联网、通讯和知识交流成为可能。讲习班将确定与非洲空间天气监测有关的主要挑战，并制定进一步合作的路线图。讲习班将讨论不利的空间天气如何影响非洲赤道区域、资金需求、仪器开发和部署以及缓解非洲赤道区域严重空间天气状况所需的步骤。将着重确定科学家和工程师在与空间天气监测有关的物理和工程要求方面的培训和教育需要。这可能包括为非洲和英国大学之间的联合博士项目规划和寻求资助、学术交流、非洲和英国科学家的巡回演讲、确定与空间天气监测相关的仪器需求，以及与当地居民一起建造和部署这些仪器。还计划举办讲座和活动，吸引当地学校和普通民众参与，以吸引和激励下一代科学家和工程师。

We seek funding to support an African Space Weather Workshop aimed at developing an international team to enhance capacity in space weather monitoring in low income countries. The proposal seeks to utilise the world-leading capability of the UK in the field of space weather monitoring to investigate and address a specific issue impacting on countries on the DAC list.Space weather is a term used to describe the how solar-driven variations in the Earth's magnetosphere-ionosphere system can impact modern technology and thus human activity. To date space weather has primarily been studied over the polar regions. However, new emerging economies necessitates the elucidation of space weather in the equatorial regions. The most serious space weather threat to modern technological infrastructure is posed by geomagnetically induced currents (GICs) at the Earth's surface. GIC are driven by solar-wind/magnetosphere interactions which driven varying electric and magnetic field in space which again induce currents on the ground. Particularly powerful solar storms have resulted in power and communication failure. GIC can also result in currents being induced in oil and gas pipelines, leading to their degradation, of particular concern to oil-producing nations like Sierra Leone and Nigeria. Further, changes in space weather will affect radio communication, as varying ionospheric conditions result in scintillation of radio signals. This can result in GPS and HF radio signals being absorbed, and significant GPS position and timing error. A particular challenge in the equatorial regions are high-density equatorial plasma bubbles which may span the horizon during severe space weather events. Unique to equatorial region there is an ionospheric current system called the equatorial electrojet which may amplify space weather effects. Disruption of radio communication will adversely affect both everyday life, commerce and disaster relief in equatorial regions.The University of Leicester are world-leading experts in space weather monitoring, using both ground-based and space-based instruments to probe space weather in the polar regions. The research they produce is of an international excellent standard. In this proposal we aim to utilise the University of Leicester's expertise in this area to bring together an international team of scientists and engineers for a one week African Space Weather Workshop at the University of Leicester. The aim of the workshop is to form an international team focussed on increasing capacity for space weather monitoring, instrumentation, education and research in Africa. The workshop will enable international networking, communication and knowledge exchange. The workshop will identify the key challenges associated with African Space Weather Monitoring and develop a road-map for further collaborations. The workshop will discuss how adverse space weather affects the African equatorial region, funding requirements, instrument development and deployment, and the steps needed mitigate serious space weather situation over the African equatorial region. There will be a strong focus on identifying the training and education needs of scientists and engineers in the physics and engineering requirements associated with space weather monitoring. This could involve planning and seeking funding for joint PhD projects between African and UK universities, academic exchanges, lecture tours of African and UK scientists, identifying instrument requirements associated with the monitoring of space weather, and engaging with local populations in building and deploying such instruments. There will also plans for talks and activities to engage local schools and the general population in order to engage and inspire the next generation of scientists and engineers.