Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Preface
- 1 Interconnectedness in heliophysics
- 2 Long-term evolution of magnetic activity of Sun-like stars
- 3 Formation and early evolution of stars and protoplanetary disks
- 4 Planetary habitability on astronomical time scales
- 5 Solar internal flows and dynamo action
- 6 Modeling solar and stellar dynamos
- 7 Planetary fields and dynamos
- 8 The structure and evolution of the three-dimensional solar wind
- 9 The heliosphere and cosmic rays
- 10 Solar spectral irradiance: measurements and models
- 11 Astrophysical influences on planetary climate systems
- 12 Assessing the Sun–climate relationship in paleoclimate records
- 13 Terrestrial ionospheres
- 14 Long-term evolution of the geospace climate
- 15 Waves and transport processes in atmospheres and oceans
- 16 Solar variability, climate, and atmospheric photochemistry
- Appendix I Authors and editors
- List of illustrations
- List of tables
- References
- Index
- Plates
Preface
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 05 April 2013
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Preface
- 1 Interconnectedness in heliophysics
- 2 Long-term evolution of magnetic activity of Sun-like stars
- 3 Formation and early evolution of stars and protoplanetary disks
- 4 Planetary habitability on astronomical time scales
- 5 Solar internal flows and dynamo action
- 6 Modeling solar and stellar dynamos
- 7 Planetary fields and dynamos
- 8 The structure and evolution of the three-dimensional solar wind
- 9 The heliosphere and cosmic rays
- 10 Solar spectral irradiance: measurements and models
- 11 Astrophysical influences on planetary climate systems
- 12 Assessing the Sun–climate relationship in paleoclimate records
- 13 Terrestrial ionospheres
- 14 Long-term evolution of the geospace climate
- 15 Waves and transport processes in atmospheres and oceans
- 16 Solar variability, climate, and atmospheric photochemistry
- Appendix I Authors and editors
- List of illustrations
- List of tables
- References
- Index
- Plates
Summary
Over the past few centuries, our awareness of the couplings between the Sun's variability and the Earth's environment, and perhaps even its climate, has been advancing at an ever increasing rate. The Sun is a magnetically variable star and, for planets with intrinsic magnetic fields, planets with atmospheres, or planets like Earth with both, there are profound consequences and impacts. Today, the successful increase in knowledge of the workings of the Sun's magnetic activity, the recognition of the many physical processes that couple the realm of the Sun to our galaxy, and the insights into the interaction of the solar wind and radiation with the Earth's magnetic field, atmosphere, and climate system have tended to differentiate and insularize the solar, heliospheric, and geospace sub-disciplines of the physics of the local cosmos. In 2001, the NASA Living With a Star (LWS) program was initiated to reverse that trend.
The recognition that there are many connections within the Sun–Earth systems approach has led to the development of an integrated strategic mission plan and a comprehensive research program encompassing all branches of solar, heliospheric, and space physics, and aeronomy. In doing so, we have developed an interdisciplinary community to address this program. This has raised awareness and appreciation of the research priorities and challenges among the LWS scientists and has led to observational and modeling capabilities that span traditional discipline boundaries.
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- Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2010