5 Consequences of Coronal Mass Ejections in the Heliosphere

Coronal mass ejections (CMEs) are the most energetic events in the heliosphere. They carry large amounts of coronal magnetic fields and plasma with them and drive large-scale interplanetary shocks. The CMEs and shock have significant consequences at various locations in the heliosphere, including the production of intense geomagnetic storms and large energetic particle events. CMEs form merged interaction regions in the heliosphere, which act as magnetic barriers for the galactic cosmic rays entering the heliosphere. After a brief summary of the observed properties of CMEs at the Sun, I discuss the properties of the interplanetary CMEs (ICMEs) and their connection to shocks, radio bursts, solar energetic particles and the modulation of galactic cosmic rays.