Observations of our atmosphere, Earth system, and Sun are the basis for many scientific discoveries. The ability to make these observations is fundamental to meeting the science goals of NCAR and the community we serve.
On behalf of NSF, NCAR develops and deploys world-class ground, airborne, and spaceborne observational facilities and services that range from providing technical assistance on instrument deployment, to the organization of field campaigns with hundreds of participants and multiple locations.
NCAR addresses three broad priorities within this goal:
The accuracy, robustness, and performance of weather, climate, and chemistry models depend on sound theory and accurate measurements. NCAR leadership in the area of field program planning and implementation provides a critical service to the community, and we are proud of our achievements in this area. The Earth Observing Laboratory maintains a large suite of NSF-funded state-of-the-art Lower Atmospheric Observing Facilities to collect data that will advance understanding of atmospheric and Earth processes in support of community research.
Maintaining flexibility and responsiveness, NCAR serves as the coordination point for scientific field campaigns, offering services ranging from advice and consultation during the initial stages of planning to field design and project implementation plans, tailored and specialized logistics support, the fielding, operation, and maintenance of scientific instrumentation, real-time data communication, organizational and operational management, and the coordination of educational activities.
Read more about this priorityAdvances in research on weather, climate, the water cycle, chemistry and dynamics of the upper troposphere/lower stratosphere, space weather and solar physics, and biogeosciences all require capabilities that stretch beyond those provided by EOL’s current suite of airborne and ground-based instruments. NCAR is tasked with developing a new generation of robust, inexpensive, easily deployable, and versatile instrument systems to address the university community’s need for these instruments, which facilitate their research efforts. Our extensive and talented scientific and engineering staff continually creates and test new instrumentation for studying the links between atmospheric composition and the biogeosciences, with systems for quantifying the surface-atmosphere exchange of gases and aerosols on whole-plant, whole-canopy, and regional scales using mobile laboratories and research aircraft.
Read more about this priorityFY2006 heralded the debut of the nation's most advanced research aircraft, the NSF/NCAR Gulfstream V (or GV, formerly referred to as HIAPER). In FY2007, the GV began flying, performing its mission of serving the National Science Foundation’s and our university community’s environmental research needs for the next several decades.
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