On the Need to Automate Support for Quality Assessment Studies of Space Weather Models.

Model quality assessment (QA), and where possible model validation, are critical steps in the life cycle of models destined to play a role in Space Weather research and forecasting. A major goal of QA is to characterize the state of the art of models of a given class, for example models of the global corona and solar wind. This requires consistent assessment of all major models in the class. Commonly, QA has been done in what amounts to campaign mode, generating reports that capture the quality of a particular model or a limited set of models for specific events or time intervals. Inconsistencies between study designs, the limited scope of each study, and the intermittency with which the study reports appear in the literature mean that we never achieve a complete assessment of the state of the art. In addition, the timeframe in which new models appear or existing models are upgraded is comparable to the publication time of peer reviewed validation reports, which means that these reports are often out of date soon after they are published. The community's current QA strategy is inadequate and unsustainable. In this paper we show why it is unsustainable and advocate for the development of automated protocols which can, with minimal ongoing labor cost, support the community's efforts to maintain up to date results. We illustrate the concept with results from a pilot scheme developed in conjunction with the SHINE community.

Assessing the Quality of Models of the Ambient Solar Wind.

In this paper we present an assessment of the status of models of the global Solar Wind in the inner heliosphere. We limit our discussion to the class of models designed to provide solar wind forecasts, excluding those designed for the purpose of testing physical processes in idealized configurations. In addition, we limit our discussion to modeling of the 'ambient' wind in the absence of coronal mass ejections. In this assessment we cover use of the models both in forecast mode and as tools for scientific research. We present a brief history of the development of these models, discussing the range of physical approximations in use. We discuss the limitations of the data inputs available to these models and its impact on their quality. We also discuss current model development trends.

Helios Observations of Quasiperiodic Density Structures in the Slow Solar Wind at 0.3, 0.4, and 0.6 AU.

Following previous investigations of quasiperiodic plasma density structures in the solar wind at 1 AU, we show using the Helios1 and Helios2 data their first identification in situ in the inner heliosphere at 0.3, 0.4, and 0.6 AU. We present five events of quasiperiodic density structures with time scales ranging from a few minutes to a couple of hours in slow solar wind streams. Where possible, we locate the solar source region of these events using photospheric field maps from the Mount Wilson Observatory as input for the Wang-Sheeley-Arge model. The detailed study of the plasma properties of these structures is fundamental to understanding the physical processes occurring at the origin of the release of solar wind plasma. Temperature changes associated with the density structures are consistent with these periodic structures developing in the solar atmosphere as the solar wind is formed. One event contains a flux rope, suggesting that the solar wind was formed as magnetic reconnection opened up a previously closed flux tube at the Sun. This study highlights the types of structures that Parker Solar Probe and the upcoming Solar Orbiter mission will observe, and the types of data analyses these missions will enable. The data from these spacecrafts will provide additional in situ measurements of the solar wind properties in the inner heliosphere allowing, together with the information of the other interplanetary probes, a more comprehensive study of solar wind formation.