The Second International Symposium on Space Climate

Long-term Changes in the Sun and their Effects in the Heliosphere and Planet Earth 

Dear Colleagues,

The Second International Symposium on Space Climate “Long-term Changes in the Sun and their Effects in the Heliosphere and Planet Earth” will be held in Sinaia, Romania, 13-16, September, 2006, under the aegis of the Romanian Academy and of its President's high patronage. It will be hosted by the Astronomical Institute of the Romanian Academy and the Institute for Space Sciences, Bucharest, Romania.

SCIENTIFIC RATIONALE

The Symposium aims to cover a wide range of topics nowadays covered under the overall concept of Space Climate, i.e., the long-term change in the Sun, and its effects in the heliosphere and upon the Earth. The topics of the Symposium include, e.g.,

-         What can we learn about the long-term evolution of the Sun from other stars?

-         How does sunspot activity evolve in time?

-         What do we know of the long-term variation of solar irradiance?

-         What do we know of the long-term evolution of the Sun from helioseismology?

-         How can we understand long-term changes in the solar dynamo?

-         Are there systematic patterns in the hemispheric and spatial distributions of solar activity?

-         What can we learn of the long-term evolution of the Sun and heliosphere from cosmic rays and cosmogenic isotopes?

-         How does the solar wind vary over solar cycle and longer time scales?

-         Causes and properties of magnetic storms over the solar cycle and longer time scales

-         What is the effect of the changing terrestrial magnetic field on cosmic rays?

-         What do we know of the long-term change in geomagnetic and auroral activity?

-         What are the solar and anthropogenic effects on global climate?

-         How does changing solar activity affect terrestrial climate?

-         How does solar variability affect global climate patterns?

-         Is there evidence for cosmic ray affecting clouds and global climate?

-         Has solar variability affected human culture?

The Symposium aims to discuss the above and related topics in an inspiring and informal atmosphere in the Romanian Mountains. The program will consist of a number of invited talks, shorter contributed oral presentations and posters.

We will also organize moderated discussions on a couple of open and debated issues related to the above topics, as well as a separate session of principles and methods of forecasting future solar activity.