Boulder’s National Center for Atmospheric Research turns 50

January 28, 2010 · Posted by in Environment 

 


The National Center of Atmospheric Research in the early morning | flickr user Laertes

In the 1950′s, meteorologists across the nation lacked the efficient tools,  technologies, and computers they needed to perfect their art. They were in great need of a well-equipped science center where scientists specializing in all disciplines of meteorology could collaborate to create more accurate and sophisticated forecasts and  models.

In response to this need, the National Science Foundation backed the formation of the National Center for Atmospheric Research  in 1960, and Boulder was chosen as its home.

From the Daily Camera:

Fifty years later, NCAR has grown from five full-time scientists to about 220 Ph.D. researchers. And the 14 founding universities that originally made up the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research — the umbrella organization that still governs NCAR — have been joined by more than 60 other schools, including the University of Colorado.

NCAR’s research focus has also expanded from efforts to accurately forecast the weather a few days out to the creation of intricate climate models that try to predict how rising greenhouse gas concentrations may change the planet in the next century.

Today, NCAR scientists also study sun and space weather, air chemistry and pollution, and how land use and wildfires impact the Earth’s climate, among other things.

The formation of the NCAR quickly lead to advances in meteorology because of the  implementation of bigger and better computers, the development of a data pool of information from around the globe that improved weather models, and the creation of a freely accessible community climate model.

Today,  NCAR continues to use advanced tools to expand its reaches and further strengthen climate models. Over the course of NCAR’s 50th year, visitors are encouraged take part in many different anniversary events and visit the lab exhibits.

–Lindsay Gulisano

NCAR through the decades

Compiled by Laura Snider

1960s

National Center for Atmospheric Research was formed in Boulder in 1960 and housed temporarily on the University of Colorado campus. Construction began on NCAR’s now-famous Mesa Lab in 1964, but scientists didn’t move into the building for five more years. But researchers didn’t wait for the new building to begin working on a better understanding of weather.

In the Southern Hemisphere, NCAR scientists launched a weather balloon project to build a wider database of atmospheric measurements. Closer to home, NCAR scientists began studying Boulder’s wind in an effort to better understand the violent gusts that frequently strafed their hometown.

NCAR leaders also made weather modification research a priority, and scientists started to study methods for causing rainfall or preventing hail.

1970s

NCAR sent researchers around the world to study storms throughout the decade, while other scientists settled in for a multi-year study on how hail is formed in northeastern Colorado. The center also becomes the first official customer of the CRAY 1A supercomputer, which allowed scientists to better study severe storms.

In the early ’70s, NCAR scientist also began to discuss whether man’s actions could possibly affect the entire climate system. “Man has entered the scene, and we must ask whether he can reach any of the lever points on this gigantic environmental mechanism and influence it,” NCAR scientist William Kellogg said in 1972.

In 1973, NCAR’s Mesa Lab was thrust into the national spotlight when Woody Allen flung himself off the top of one of the building towers while filming the movie “Sleeper.”

In the last half of the decade, NCAR partnered with National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to build a 985-foot tower in Erie to measure wind speeds.

1980s

NCAR researchers worked on projects that attempted to track acid rain, explain ozone depletion and identify indications of global warming during the 1980s.

Scientists also expanded their work on microburst and their effect on airplanes after Delta Air Lines flight 191 crashed while on a routine approach to the Dallas-Forth Worth International Airport in 1985, killing 135 people, because of wind shear induced by a microburst.

NCAR researchers used their knowledge of the weather phenomenon to create a warning system for pilots, which led to the launch of NCAR’s Research Applications Program.

In the late 1980s, NCAR began to search for a place to expand. A proposal to build more labs at the Mesa site drew fire from the community, and eventually NCAR settled on a location near the intersection of the Diagonal Highway and the Foothills Parkway.

1990s

The rise of GPS during the ’90s allowed atmospheric researchers to measure temperature and water vapor around the globe by calculating how the GPS signals are bent as they travel through the atmosphere.

In 1998, NCAR scientists released the first community climate model that connected oceans, sea ice and land surfaces with the atmosphere. The model was made freely available for university researchers to use and develop for their own work.

NCAR also launched successful outreach and education programs in the ’90s, including a program that offered summer research internships to undergraduates. NCAR also expanded its programs for K-12 students and launched its Super Science Saturday, which gives the public an opportunity to check out some of the center’s most interesting research.

2000s

NCAR scientists continued to expand their climate models to run on larger and more impressive computers.

The models were heavily relied on by the U.N.’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change for its assessment reports. In 2007, the IPCC was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize along with Al Gore. Of the 2,500 scientists that contributed to the assessment reports, 40 were NCAR staffers.

NCAR also looked to expand again, this time to find room for its next supercomputer. Eventually, the center chose a location in Wyoming for a new 153,000-square-foot building that will house one of the world’s most powerful supercomputers.

The building and its computer are expected to be up and running in 2012.

Sources: NCAR 50th Anniversary Exhibit at the Boulder Public Library, Daily Camera archives

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