Scientists know that a solar wind streams out of the Sun and rushes into the void of space, constantly buffeting Earth and the other planets with gales of charged particles. They’ve just never seen it – at least not as a seamless, connected process.

Instead, scientists have relied on a handful of solar-observing telescopes, none optimized to view the wind, to fit together the puzzle pieces of how the wind unfurls from the Sun, eventually breaking free of the star’s magnetic fields. The disjointed picture these instruments paint – which at best leaves gaping blind spots at the Sun’s poles – makes it difficult to determine how the wind evolves.

Continue reading Microsatellites to take never before seen look at the young solar wind at Meteorological Technology International.

Lake Victoria has a well-deserved reputation for dangerous weather patterns, with severe thunderstorms and strong winds forming rapidly at night. These take a tragic toll across a large region of East Africa: an estimated 3,000-5,000 fishers and small boat operators die on the lake every year, often unaware when dangerous storms are approaching.

To improve safety on Africa’s largest lake, the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) is taking part in a three-year, international effort to develop a detailed marine forecasting system. The HIGH impact Weather Lake System project (HIGHWAY) aims to increase the use of weather information, helping the nations in the Lake Victoria Basin to disseminate timely forecasts and warnings to those who may be at risk.

Continue reading Lifesaving storm warnings for Africa’s Lake Victoria at Meteorological Technology International.