On tracing the origins of the solar wind

Since the 1960s, in situ observations have shown that the solar wind is comprised of two distinct states: slow (300-550 km/s) and fast (600-800 km/s). Temperature, density, and compositional variations between the two suggest different sources for the fast and slow solar wind. Several theories have been proposed to explain the speed and the compositional differences between the two wind types. Waves-driven models rely on the structure and geometry of the coronal magnetic field to explain the differences. Others argue that the Sun is inherently dynamic, with flux tubes reconfiguring and tapping into heated closed coronal loops. This thesis investigates these issues by using coronal and solar wind models. Using a semi-empirical coronal model I derive a new empirical relationship for the solar wind speed at 0.1 AU based on the magnetic field configuration in the corona. This new empirical relationship exposes how the fast and slow solar wind speeds are controlled by different coronal parameters. I also find that the solar wind observations used to distinguish between fast and slow solar wind are not as unambiguous as previously thought. The solar wind speed can evolve significantly in the inner (less than 0.4 AU) heliosphere, confusing source region identification of in situ observations. When the evolution of the solar wind speed is accounted for, it produces a greater separation in the fast and slow coronal speed populations and also explains observed compositional variations that were found to be dependent on the observer's heliographic latitude. Investigating the solar wind composition variations during solar minimum shows that there are two populations of slow solar wind. These populations can be distinguished by their relative helium abundance. I find that a combination of present theories, including both the time dependent nature and large scale magnetic structure of the corona, are required to best explain solar wind sources and observations.