Announcing the International Workshop on

Solar Activity: Exploration, Understanding and Prediction

Lund, Sweden 19-21 September 2005

Did we predict the intense solar storm on Bastille Day in 2000, on Halloween in 2003 or in January 2005? Are we capable of predicting the strength of the next solar cycle? Are we capable of predicting the next Maunder Minimum? All these events have a strong impact on society and the climate. Despite that, predictions are not very good and need to be improved.

This workshop is devoted to exploring, explaining and forecasting solar activity. We welcome presentations of wavelet studies of solar activity, forecasts of solar activity using solar theory, helioseismic results and neural networks. New ideas on how to understand better long-term solar activity related to climate changes are also of great interest.

The workshop will also discuss how upcoming exciting new space and ground-based observations could improve forecasts and there will be presentations of newly started international solar programs.

It is planned that the workshop will end with a videoconference – "A Forecast Forum". Regional Warning Centers of International Space Environment Service and Solar Groups are going to participate and forecasts and observations in real-time will be discussed.

Scientific Organizing Committee:

Svante Björck (CGB, Sweden), David Boteler (ISES/NRC, Canada), Alain Hilgers (ESA/ESTEC, Netherlands), Todd Hoeksema (Stanford, USA), Rickard Lundin (IRF-K, Sweden), Henrik Lundstedt (ISES/IRF-Lund, Sweden), Mauro Messerotti (INAF-Trieste, Italy), Bo Thidé (IRF-U, Sweden), Michael Thompson (Sheffield, U.K.)

Local Organizing Committee:

J. Munk Jensen, E. Jonsson, H. Lundstedt, M. Wik, P. Wintoft

Sponsoring Institutions:

European Space Agency
International Space Environment Service
EU COST 724 Action Space Weather
The Swedish Research Council
GeoBiosphere Science Centre
Swedish Institute of Space Physics




Web: http://www.lund.irf.se/workshop/
e-mail:workshop@lund.irf.se or henrik@lund.irf.se