Communicating Space Weather to Policymakers and the Wider Public

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Communicating Space Weather to Policymakers and
the Wider Public Bárbara Ferreira EGU Media and
Communications Manager Session
ST6.1/EOS16/NH9.14/PS5.6, EGU General Assembly
Vienna, Austria Friday, 2 May 2014 Contact
media_at_egu.eu
Meetings Publications Outreach www.egu.eu
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Why you should communicate space weather

• Its cool and fascinating gets people excited
  about space science
• Its a natural hazard so its important for the
  public to know about it
• A variety of audiences are interested in space
  weather (school kids, engineers, policymakers),
  so easier to communicate than other topics
• You are less likely to get it wrong than
  journalists/sci communicators
• Communicating science to wider audiences is
  great to hone your communication skills (improves
  your scientific writing too)
• Could lead to interdisciplinary collaborations
  increase in citations
• Justify the taxpayers money that funds your
  research attract more public support for your
  science
• Inform policy make sure legislation relating to
  space weather (including funding decisions) is
  based on sound science

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How to communicate space weather
Example talk (general public)
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Space weather
Changes in the near-Earth space environment,
which are caused by varying conditions on the Sun
and its atmosphere.
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Not to scale!! Credit NASA/JPL
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The Sun

• Has a diameter of 1,391,000 km 109 times the
  Earths diameter
• Its some 150 million km, or 8 light minutes,
  away
• Glowing sphere of hot (ionised or electrified)
  gas called plasma
• Rotation (at the surface, the rotation is faster
  at the equator than at the poles) and convection
• It has a magnetic field (its a big magnet), but
  a very complex one

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Credit Science at NASA
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Credit NASA/Solar Dynamics Observatory
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The Sun

• Has a diameter of 1,391,000 km 109 times the
  Earths diameter
• Its some 150 million km, or 8 light minutes,
  away
• Glowing sphere of hot (ionised or electrified)
  gas called plasma
• It rotates differentially at the surface, the
  rotation is faster at the equator than at the
  poles
• It has a magnetic field (its a big magnet), but
  a very complex one
• It has an 11-year sunspot cycle or solar cycle
  max and minimum

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Credit SOHO/NASA/ESA
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Credit NASA/ESA
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The Sun

• Has a diameter of 1,391,000 km 109 times the
  Earths diameter
• Its some 150 million km, or 8 light minutes,
  away
• Glowing sphere of hot (ionised or electrified)
  gas called plasma
• It rotates differentially at the surface, the
  rotation is faster at the equator than at the
  poles
• Like the Earth, it has a magnetic field (its a
  big magnet), but a very complex one
• It has an 11-year sunspot cycle or solar cycle
  max and minimum
• It produces a stream of electric particles, the
  solar wind, that flows out of its upper
  atmosphere reaches the Earth (and its protective
  magnetic shield) and beyond!

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Earths magnetic shield artistic
impression Credit ESA/ATG medialab
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Solar wind and aurora

• Auroras are one of the most visible effect of
  space weather

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(No Transcript)
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Solar wind and aurora

• Auroras are one of the most visible effect of
  space weather
• Occur when the energetic particles carried by
  the solar wind break through the magnetic field
  protection and travel along the magnetic field
  lines entering the Earths atmosphere close to
  the poles
• Particles hit the atoms that make up the Earths
  atmosphere and energise them, causing them to
  release photons (light particles)
• Auroras are usually weak and only visible at
  high latitudes
• But sometimes the solar wind carries a lot more
  radiation, energetic particles, and even plasma,
  from the Sun

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Solar storms and geomagnetic storms

• Solar flares rapid outburst of radiation and
  energetic particles (can release 10 million times
  more energy than an exploding volcano)
• Coronal mass ejection (CME) a larger scale,
  violent ejection of material into space up to a
  100 billion kg of plasma
• Can happen more frequently at the peak of the
  solar cycle (more sunspots)
• Solar wind carries the material onto Earth, if
  solar storms are directed towards it can impact
  satellites
• Strong solar storms can cause geomagnetic
  storms disturbances of the Earth magnetic field
  can impact technological systems on Earth (and
  we get to see stronger lower-latitude auroras!)
• On average, these events disrupt human activity
  1-2 times per solar cycle

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CME geomagnetic storm animation Credit NASA
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Effects of space weather

• Damage to satellites (inc. communications)
• Radiation hazard (astronauts, but potentially
  also for air crews/passengers)
• Distortion of radio signals
• Navigation errors (GPS)
• Power blackouts (e.g. Quebec blackout 1989,
  Sweden power outage 2003)
• Aurora (not all doom and gloom!)

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Monitoring and protection

• Effects are more damaging now than in the past
  because we rely more on technology. But our
  weakness is also our strength we have
  spacecraft watching the Sun 24/7
• Spacecraft can provide CMEs warning 1-3 days in
  advance (but geomagnetic storm warning may only
  be available 1hour in advance)
• Astronauts at the Space Station can seek shelter
  from radiation
• Airplanes can be rerouted
• Most satellites have some protection against
  radiation energetic particles

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Take-home messages

• Space weather is a natural phenomena that can be
  beautiful and, sometimes, can affect our
  technology
• Theres protection from it, but we need to keep
  watching the Sun!
• Investing on protecting our technological system
  from space weather and on having better warning
  systems for geomagnetic storms also important
• Engineers and policymakers need to be well aware
  of space weather as they need to make sure space
  weather is monitored and forecasted properly
• You dont need to worry about space weather!
• But you should know about it so you are not
  surprised/scared when (e.g.) GPS not working
  properly or theres a power blackout so that
  you understand the need for funding space weather
  research/monitoring

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So, how to communicate space weather?

• Show images short videos/animations
• Explain jargon (e.g. plasma hot, electrified
  gas)
• Everyday examples give the reader/listener
  something to relate to (e.g. explain
  distances/sizes using comparisons with familiar
  objects)
• Make your presentation/text current (e.g. show
  images of the Sun today, last week, last month)
• Bring people closer to solar space weather
  research (e.g. tell them they just need to use
  Google to find out how active the sun is looking
  today, or what the space weather conditions are)
• Show them space weather and its effects are
  real! (e.g. geomagnetic storms caused a power
  blackout in Sweden in 2003)
• Take-away messages highlight what you want
  people to keep in mind

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General good science communication/writing rules

• Assume the audience knows nothing about your
  research but dont assume they are stupid and
  wont understand it
• Short, simple and concise style be
  conversational Dont be effulgent or
  felicitous, be bright and happy instead!
• Speak/write clearly, avoid acronyms and
  technical terms
• Writing roughly one idea per sentence and one
  concept per paragraph
• Writing use the active voice, vary length of
  sentences (some short, some long but not too
  long)
• Target your message to your audience

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Target audience policymakers

• Be brief, be balanced, be objective, be clear
• Get your facts right, focus on the main messages
• Language can be a bit more technical (level of
  education higher), though still simple and clear
  to a non-scientist
• Background (sun, solar storms, etc.) should be
  very brief
• Focus on the effects impacts so that they
  understand space weather can be a problem
• Focus on monitoring, forecasting, protection and
  mitigation so that they know what can be done
  about it
• Focus on funding because government agencies
  decide on funding for some research agencies

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Target audience policymakers (contd)

• Example POSTnote on Space Weather
• POST UKs Parliamentary Office of Science and
  Technology provide analysis of policy issues
  relating to science to help UK parliamentarians
  examine science and technology issues effectively
• Produce short notes (24 pages), which take
  about 23 months to research and draft and are
  reviewed extensively (industry, academics,
  parliamentary staff, etc.)
• http//www.parliament.uk/documents/post/postpn361
  -space-weather.pdf (with Chandrika Nath)
• More information How do I brief policymakers
  on science-related issues? by Chandrika Nath
  http//bit.ly/1gL45l8

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How can you get involved in space-weather
communication

• Be pro-active and do more outreach
• Blog about your work, talk about it on social
  media, give popular science talks, go to schools,
  etc. or contact your press officer if you have
  new and important/exciting results
• Being involved in policy may be harder be
  patient, persistent, available
• If your story is in the media, it may indirectly
  influence policymaking since most politicians get
  their sci information from the media
• Make yourself available to provide information
  for policy briefings, write to your MP or
  parliamentary office of science
• Apply for a science policy initiative
  (scientist-MP pairing schemes, POST fellowships,
  opportunities at the European Parliament's
  Scientific and Technological Options Assessment,
  etc.)