Quo vadis, European Space Weather community?

Abstract

This paper was written by a group of European researchers believing that now is the right time to frame the Space Weather and Space Climate discipline in Europe for future years. It is devoted to openly discussing the organisation and sustainability of the European Space Weather community and its assets in the (near) future. More specifically, we suggest that the European Space Weather community lacks a uniting organisation to help the community to sustain and develop the successful efforts made thus far. Our aim is not to draw a complete and exhaustive panorama of Space Weather throughout the world, nor even throughout Europe. It is not a new white paper on the science and applications: there exist many (e.g. Tsurutani BT et al. 2020. Nonlinear Processes Geophys 27(1): 75–119); nor another roadmap: several important have been published recently (e.g. Schrijver CJ et al. 2015. Adv Space Res 55(12): 2745– 2807; Opgenoorth HJ et al. 2019. J Space Weather Space Clim 9: A37). Our aim is to question our practices and organisation in front of several changes that have occurred in the recent years and to set the ground to provide coordinated answers to these questions being posed in Europe, and to make these answers discussed throughout the world. This group was assembled first through a series of sessions devoted to the sustainability of Space Weather research during the European Space Weather Week (ESWW) series of meetings, specifically: ESWW 14 (2017), ESWW 15 (2018), and ESWW 16 (2019). It then grew from discussions and personal contacts. The authors do not pretend to identify the full range of opinions in Europe, although they do come from 13 different European countries with a large span of ages (around half are below the age of 40 years old at the time of writing) with a good gender balance ending with a diverse mix of young and motivated scientists and senior people who have played a role in shaping the Space Weather community in Europe. The questions and the propositions to organise Space Weather in Europe in the future result from their discussions through these meetings and through remote meetings during the pandemic. We wish to share them with all those who consider themselves as members of the European Space Weather community and/or are interested in its future and to propose actions. We do this, bearing in mind that Europe plays a key international role in Space Weather which extends beyond the ESA and EU/EC geographic area.