About this Research Topic
On Earth, we live in proximity to an active and variable star - the Sun, which is not only the main energy source for the Earth’s climate system but also protects us from harmful galactic cosmic rays. However, the Sun potentially endangers modern technological civilization through large solar eruptions, such as solar flares, coronal mass ejections (CMEs), and solar energetic particles (SEPs), that bombard the Earth’s atmosphere with very intense fluxes of energetic particles. These phenomena are closely associated with the Sun's magnetic field.
Furthermore, the Sun shows variations of magnetic activity with timescales ranging from minutes to centuries. The most famous is the 11-year solar cycles, which are superimposed on longer-term variations, such as a centennial Gleissberg cycle. The Sun also shows shorter quasi-periodic variations like quasi-biennial oscillations (QBOs) with a period from 1.5 to 4 years. It was suggested that the long-term variations influence Earth’s climate at regional and global scales.
Therefore, it is important to increase the level of our understanding of the possible influences of long-term variations in solar magnetic activity on the Earth’s regional and global climate as well as the effects of the solar eruptive phenomena on the Earth’s atmosphere. To achieve these objectives, various data sets ranging from instrumental measurements of the Earth magnetosphere to isotope concentrations in terrestrial records that reflect the past variations in solar and climatic signals can be used. In addition, global and regional climate models together with chemistry-climate models will help us to understand the physical and chemical mechanisms underlying these possible effects.
The scope of this Research Topic is to collect Original Research papers about the short- and long-term activity variations in the Sun and its possible effects on the Earth’s atmosphere. These effects can range from geomagnetic effects of solar eruptions to possible regional or global effects in the Earth’s climate from long-term solar activity variations. Subjects related to the generation and spatio-temporal evolution of solar activity from solar dynamos are also encouraged.
This Research Topic has been realized in collaboration with Dr. Prantika Bhowmik, Post Doctoral Research Associate at Durham University.
Furthermore, the Sun shows variations of magnetic activity with timescales ranging from minutes to centuries. The most famous is the 11-year solar cycles, which are superimposed on longer-term variations, such as a centennial Gleissberg cycle. The Sun also shows shorter quasi-periodic variations like quasi-biennial oscillations (QBOs) with a period from 1.5 to 4 years. It was suggested that the long-term variations influence Earth’s climate at regional and global scales.
Therefore, it is important to increase the level of our understanding of the possible influences of long-term variations in solar magnetic activity on the Earth’s regional and global climate as well as the effects of the solar eruptive phenomena on the Earth’s atmosphere. To achieve these objectives, various data sets ranging from instrumental measurements of the Earth magnetosphere to isotope concentrations in terrestrial records that reflect the past variations in solar and climatic signals can be used. In addition, global and regional climate models together with chemistry-climate models will help us to understand the physical and chemical mechanisms underlying these possible effects.
The scope of this Research Topic is to collect Original Research papers about the short- and long-term activity variations in the Sun and its possible effects on the Earth’s atmosphere. These effects can range from geomagnetic effects of solar eruptions to possible regional or global effects in the Earth’s climate from long-term solar activity variations. Subjects related to the generation and spatio-temporal evolution of solar activity from solar dynamos are also encouraged.
This Research Topic has been realized in collaboration with Dr. Prantika Bhowmik, Post Doctoral Research Associate at Durham University.
Keywords: solar activity, climate, flares, CMEs, dynamos
Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
