Greifswald Physics Colloquium: Florian Günzkofer, Institute for Solar-Terrestrial Physics, German Aerospace Center (DLR)

Solar Cycle 25, which reached its maximum in late 2024, has highlighted the vulnerability of recent technological advancements to space weather, including precision agriculture and satellite mega-constellations. The electrodynamics of the polar ionosphere, where the solar wind couples into the Earth system, are a major driver of space weather impacts. However, due to the complex coupling of the ionosphere-thermosphere-magnetosphere (ITM) system and the scarce measurement capabilities in the ionospheric dynamo region, the high-latitude space weather driving is still poorly represented in physics-based models and space weather forecasts. In this presentation, I will introduce the high-latitude ITM coupling, the formation and importance of the ionospheric dynamo region, as well as the status quo of modeling and measurement capabilities.
A special focus is on the different approaches to ITM modelling, including empirical, data assimilative, and physics-based methods, and their validation with radar measurements.