Space Weather and Coronal Mass Ejections

Space weather has attracted a lot of attention in recent times. Severe space weather can disrupt spacecraft, and on Earth can be the cause of power outages and power station failure. It also presents a radiation hazard for airline passengers and astronauts. These 'magnetic storms' are most commonly caused by coronal mass ejections, or CMES, which are large eruptions of plasma and magnetic field from the Sun that can reach speeds of several thousand km/s.
In this SpringerBrief, Space Weather and Coronal Mass Ejections, author Timothy Howard briefly introduces the coronal mass ejection, its scientific importance, and its relevance to space weather at Earth and other planets. This title focuses on the latest advances in CME observation and modeling, including new results from the NASA STEREO and SDO missions. It also includes topical issues regarding space weather and the most recent observations and anecdotal examples of the impacts of space weather and CMEs.

Dr. Timothy Howard is a Senior Research Scientist at the Southwest Research Institute in Boulder, Colorado. He received his PhD. in Space and Plasma Physics from the University of Newcastle, Australia, and he holds a degree in mathematics, an honors degree in science, and a graduate diploma of education. His postdoctoral placements were at the University of Birmingham in the UK and Montana State University and the National Solar Observatory in the United States, where he performed research for the U. S. Air Force Research Laboratory. His work has appeared in over 40 peer-reviewed publications and several dozen national and international conferences. He is part of the solar physics community and an expert on coronal mass ejections, space weather and heliospheric imaging.