The ESA Space Weather Working Team (SWWT)
Topical Groups | Documents | History | Contact List | Membership
To access the SWWT document archive, click here.
The SWWT is a forum open to European experts in a variety of both scientific and application oriented fields relating to space weather. The current SWWT chairperson is Norma Crosby (BISA).
The SWWT plays an important role in advising ESA on space weather strategy. It also 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 FP6 & COST programmes, INTAS, SpaceGRID and others.
The SWWT will advise ESA about the response to the pilot project activities observed within the scientific and user communities. The SWWT will also assist ESA in evaluating the lessons learned from the operation of the pilot project and how these changes can be implemented within a strategy for any future space weather programme.
Download the Terms of Reference
SWWT membership is open to representatives of any institute or private company currently undertaking space weather related activities. The SWWT meets at approximately 6 monthly intervals. In addition, several "Topical Groups" maintain regular contact via email.
All members are invited to participate in topical working groups (TWG). TWG are responsible for initiating projects, discussing new advances and/or progress in existing research and service development. TWG will also be responsible for promoting pilot project activities within Europe and among the communities outside.
The current organisation of the SWWT is as follows:
For information about the topical groups, follow these links:
- Fundamental Research (e.g. solar, S-T, including future missions and instrumentation), spokesperson: H. Lundstedt (IRF)
- Ground Effects (GIC, prospecting, tourism), spokesperson: L. Trichtchenko (NR Canada)
- Atmospheric Effects (incl. drag), spokesperson: S Bruinsma (CNES)
- Ionospheric Effects, spokesperson: J-P.Luntama (ESA)
- Spacecraft, Launcher & Aircraft Environments , spokesperson: tbc
- Education, Outreach and Emerging Markets, spokesperson: N. Crosby (BISA)
The SWWT has also established a Steering Board to act as an executive group. The SB consists of:
- the SWWT Chairperson
- representatives of national and European funding agencies that support significant space weather activities
- experts in areas of technical and strategic importance
- the ESA representative to ILWS
This SB is tasked to synthesize the roadmap and recommendations from the SWWT for presentation to agencies and other concerned parties, as appropriate.
History 
The Space Weather Working Team was set up to coincide with the start of ESA's two parallel space weather studies in 1999. SWWT members come 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 RAL and Alcatel-Space led consortia were aware of as many European space weather related assets as possible. More information can be found in the Introduction and Background presentations. Note, however, that these presentations were written at the start of the parallel studies in 1999 and so some information may be out of date. The figure below shows how the consortia involved in ESA's parallel studies and the SWWT were connected. The SWWT was initially chaired by Dr. R. Gendrin. Prof. W. Riedler chaired the SWWT between December 2001 and May 2003. Following this, Dr. Francois Lefeuvre was electetd by the membership in June 2003, acting in this capacity until early 2006. Following elections, Mike Hapgood took up the post of Chairman in June 2006.
The configuration of the SWWT at the end of the ESA prallel studies phase in 2001 was as shown in the figure below.
Original Terms of Usage
- ensure that there are no important omissions in contractor studies and deliverables
- provide material or sources for material that need to be examined by the teams
- review in detail the interim and final study outputs
- advise ESA in the supervision to the study
- assist ESA in establishing a strategy for any future programme.
Contact List
Download: Contact List (12.03.2008, pdf-file)
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
SWWT Membership
SWWT membership is open to representatives of any institute or private company currently undertaking space weather related activities. For further information about becoming a member of the SWWT, contact A. Glover or N. Crosby.
Enquiries regarding the Steering Board including membership nominations should be addressed to A. Glover or N. Crosby.
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