Investigating the Impact of Solar Wind Model Boundary Conditions on Model Verification Metrics
Abstract
The Enlil heliospheric model is used operationally at the Met Office to predict the solar wind parameters at the L1 point. One of the outstanding issues with the model revolves around the way in which boundary conditions are imposed. Currently, the solar wind speed and magnetic field are derived from the WSA model which combines a potential field source surface model and a Schatten current sheet model to derive the coronal magnetic field, and uses an empirical relationship to determine the solar wind speed based on flux tube expansion factors and distance to coronal holes. In this study, we ran a set of experiments consisting of Enlil driven by the WSA model, Enlil driven by Inter-Planetary Scintillation data and Enlil driven by a non-linear force-free model. We compare solar wind metrics for these models during a quiet period of 6 months with few coronal mass ejections, with a particular focus on Co-rotating Interaction Regions due to their potential for geo-effectiveness, and propose a subset of metrics for evaluating solar wind models, focussing on operational use.
- Publication:
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AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts
- Pub Date:
- December 2016
- Bibcode:
- 2016AGUFMSH11C2253B
- Keywords:
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- 4305 Space weather;
- NATURAL HAZARDSDE: 7594 Instruments and techniques;
- SOLAR PHYSICS;
- ASTROPHYSICS;
- AND ASTRONOMYDE: 7924 Forecasting;
- SPACE WEATHERDE: 7999 General or miscellaneous;
- SPACE WEATHER