The CCMC, located at NASA GSFC, is presently running the WSA-Enlil model in real time, and is testing the inclusion of cone model CMEs. While this model represents important advance in that physics-based models are now being used to forecast CMEs, it cannot predict the nature of the magnetic fields embedded in the CME. When successfully completed, CORHEL-CG will be able to overcome this limitation and may provide significantly better descriptions of CME in interplanetary space. This should not only be useful to the CCMC, but to other groups at NASA as well.
CMEs are of concern not only to NASA, but to many government and commercial entities dependent on satellites and aircraft. For example, NOAA SWPC is transitioning the WSA-Enlil-Cone model to operations to provide warnings of CME impacts. The Air Force is also interested in predicting and mitigating the impacts of geoeffective CMEs. Once we have successfully developed CORHEL-CG for NASA applications, we can adapt it to address the needs of these customers as well.
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