Authors: Rodney Viereck
Affiliation: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Space Environment
Center
Cutting-edge, state-of-the-art solar observations are a critical part of the LWS and SDO missions. But long-term monitoring of the solar condition is a function that is often carried forward by other agencies. In particular, NOAA has been monitoring the solar x-ray and UV emissions for nearly 25 years. There are plans to add solar EUV observations in the next year or so. Further in the future, NOAA will begin monitoring the total solar irradiance as well as the spectral irradiance from about 250 to 2500 nm. All of these measurements will be made continuously and into the indefinite future. The monitoring of solar irradiance has a multitude of applications to operational space weather specification and forecasting as well as to the scientific objectives of the solar and terrestrial research communities. I will present the past present and future of solar irradiance observations made from NOAA spacecraft and how they contribute to both NOAA’s operational requirements as well as to the LWS and SDO research objectives.