The IHY will commence on the fiftieth anniversary of the International Geophysical Year (IGY, 1957-58) that produced an unprecedented level of understanding of geospace and saw the start of the Space Age. Like the IGY, the objective of the IHY is to discover the physical mechanisms that link Earth and the heliosphere to solar activities. Like IGY, the IHY will focus on global effects but the IHY will expand to encompass the entire Sun-Earth system and the heliosphere. Proposed IHY objectives are:

* Obtain a coordinated set of observations to study, at the largest scale, the heliospheric events and their effect on life and the climate of Earth.

* Document and report the observations and provide a forum for the development of new scientific results utilizing these observations.

* Foster international cooperation in the study of heliophysical phenomena now and in the future.

* Communicate the unique scientific results of the IHY to the interested scientific community and to the general public.

"The IGY helped enormously in promoting research in geophysics and space science," said Nat Gopalswamy, a co-convener of the workshop at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. "In this workshop, we'll identify problems that need global cooperation, that are solvable in the near future." IHY participants will set up distributed collaborations that utilize ground- and space-based assets to further science achievements in solar physics, geophysics, space physics, and heliospheric physics with a resounding emphasis on cross-disciplinary science.

"The Sun is the vital driver of space weather," said K.S. Balasubramaniam, local workshop chairman at the NSO, in Sunspot. "An understanding of the solar influences on the heliosphere will help us protect satellites and terrestrial assets from disastrous consequences of severe space weather. This workshop will lay the foundation for a seamless integration of the entire heliosphere, from the solar surface to Earth and its climate, and across the solar system."

NSO will support IHY through the U.S. Air Force's Improved Solar Optical Observing Network prototype (ISOON, Sunspot, NM), the Global Oscillation Network Group (GONG, six stations around the world) and the Synoptic Optical Long-term Investigations of the Sun (SOLIS, Kitt Peak, AZ). Each features advanced digital imaging systems and filters to produce high-quality solar images and data and place them on the web for quick access by the world solar community.

For the planning workshop, about 60 scientists from around the United States will representing a broad range of scientific disciplines, including geospace, magnetosphere, ionsophere, and climate, said Barbara Thompson, a workshop co-convener from NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. "In addition, we hope to understand heliospheric interactions with all magnetospheres, not just Earth, so IHY will encompass other planets as well."

Key speakers will be George Siscoe of Boston University on magnetospheres and ionospheres, Marvin Geller of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology on Earth, atmosphere, and climate; Marcia Neugebauer of the University of Arizona on the heliosphere, and Robert Lin of the University of California at Berkeley on the Sun. Workshop co-chairs are Nancy Crooker of Boston University and Daniel Baker of the University of Colorado. Conveners are Gopalswamy, Thompson, and Joseph M. Davila of NASA/Goddard.

"These four speakers will address over-arching scientific questions that have the potential for being addressed by scientific observations worldwide, even with the aid of Third World countries, so it's truly an international effort," said Crooker.

Gopalswamy noted that about 60,000 scientists in 66 nations were involved in the IGY. He anticipates a larger number will be involved in the IHY.

"Only a cooperative international program like IHY can bring together enough people to fully address these broad scientific questions" said Joseph Davila one of the workshop co-conveners.

The NSO advances knowledge of the Sun, both as an astronomical object and as the dominant external influence on Earth, by providing forefront observational opportunities to the research community. NSO operates cutting-edge facilities, develops advanced instrumentation in-house and through partnerships, conducts solar research, and supports educational and public outreach. The Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy operates NSO under a cooperative agreement with the National Science Foundation, for the benefit of the astronomical community.

Because of space limitations, participation is limited to invited attendees. A press conference will be held at 1 p.m., Thursday, April 22, after the conference adjourns. For information about the workshop at Sunspot, contact:

Dave Dooling
Education and Public Outreach Officer
National Solar Observatory
Sunspot, NM 88349
505-434-7015, dooling@nso.edu

Jackie Diehl
505-434-7003, diehl@nso.edu

Web links

Workshop

http://www.nso.edu/general/workshops/ihy2004/

Directions to Sunspot

http://nsosp.nso.edu/pr/road-directions.html

IHY

http://ihy.gsfc.nasa.gov/