The South America VLF Network (SAVNET): Providing new ground-based diagnostics of space weather conditions

In this paper we present recent results obtained by the South America VLF Network (SAVNET). The use of the VLF technique by tracking subionospheric propagation anomalies appears as a very promising tool to study various aspects of Space Weather disturbances. On long timescales it is possible to indirectly monitor the solar Lyman-α radiation along the solar cycles. Short time phenomena like solar explosive events can be observed with 100% probability, even for the small intensity events. Finally, the same technique is relevant to study the low ionospheric perturbations caused by geomagnetic storms on typical timescales of a day to few days.