What effect does weather in outer space have on Planet Earth? WVHTC Foundation scientists have developed a unique model that simulates space weather phenomena – and helps predict the weather down here.

About Global Modeling of Earth’s Magnetosphere
This competitively-won National Science Foundation grant is aimed at developing a simulation model of solar wind interaction with the Earth’s magnetosphere.

What makes this model unique is this: It takes into account the fact solar wind is comprised of elementary particles, which do not quite fulfill the criteria of being treated collectively as a continuum – and the tool is three dimensional in nature.

WVHTC Foundation research employs a mathematical tool (finite element techniques) which allows it to simulate hundreds to almost one thousand Earth’s radii from Earth in each direction. As such, it is the first model of its kind in the world which takes into account the particle or corpuscular nature of the solar wind and realistically models its interaction with Earth’s magnetosphere in global scales.

Our model and research allows for the investigation of space weather phenomena, including interaction of high energy solar wind particles resulting from magnetic storms with Earth’s magnetosphere, potential implications on satellites and communications, and applications to fundamental space physical research.