Planetary Group Seminar: State-of-the-art Research on Planetary Impacts of Space Weather - Scientific and Societal Benefits (V. Bothmer)

The Sun is the prime source of energy in our solar system and thus controls space weather. Over the past decades, a variety of solar and heliospheric space missions, such as SOHO, Cluster, STEREO, ACE, or recently Rosetta, have provided unprecedented observations of plasma physical processes in the heliosphere. The analysis of these data, in a multidisciplinary manner, has led to a new understanding of the quantitative impacts of the various forms of solar activity on planets and comets. Of special importance are the effects on our modern day technological infrastructure and the disastrous societal consequences of solar superstorms, especially in view of the increasing importance of space based applications. In my presentation I will try to provide answers to a number of key questions regarding the specific impacts of space weather effects and how these are intimately connected to state-of-the-art scientific research.