Is Space Weather Different Over Africa, and If So, Why? An AGU Chapman Conference Report

With the increasing reliance on technology, the impact of space weather on engineered systems will certainly increase unless suitable protective measures are taken. Understanding the physics behind space weather impacts and improving the forecasting are the major objectives of the space science community. It is well recognized that many space weather impacts, especially on communications systems, arise from structures in the ionosphere. The equatorial ionosphere, in particular, is one of the most complex and is host to numerous instabilities and interactions, with many unresolved questions regarding its dynamics and variability. Radio waves, either transmitted through the ionosphere, for satellite communication and navigation, or reflected off the ionosphere for HF and radar applications, are all impacted by ionospheric variability and structure. Ionospheric irregularities or plasma \textquotedblleftbubbles\textquotedblright occurring at low latitudes are one such source of interference. These irregularities cause scintillations on satellite radio transmissions, resulting in information loss in communications, as well as degradation in positioning and navigation used in aviation and maritime industries.