SHINE: The Evolution of Coronal Dimmings and Their Relationship to Eruptive Phenomena

Coronal mass ejections (CMEs) are colossal plasma bubbles in the interplanetary space that contain intense magnetic fields and superheated coronal particles. Understanding CME evolution is particularly important as they are major drivers of severe space weather. The low-corona segment of the CME structure is known as the coronal dimming: an area dominated by short-lived open magnetic field that grows and decays as the magnetic field is dragged out into interplanetary space.

To understand CME evolution as a whole, one has to study the evolution of dimmings in conjunction with the CME morphology and its physical properties from the solar corona all the way to the Earth.

This project will investigate the CME and dimming evolution through initial 50 events using solar observing satellites including Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) and Solar TErrestrial RElations Observatory (STEREO). The CME morphology and magnetic structure will also be investigated using the Potential Field Source Surface and Graduated Cylindrical Shell models.

The CME properties will be identified in the solar wind data and linked to geomagnetic disturbance values on Earth. Another 150 dimmings will be added to the event catalog and related to CME solar wind properties and geomagnetic observations on Earth. The project will support a female scientist and NSF-sponsored REU students and NOAA-sponsored Hollings summer students will be responsible for data preparation and testing.

The dimming event catalog will be made publicly available as part of the Big Earth Data Initiative project to improve rapid and long-term access to key data to support research.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.