National Center for Atmospheric Research

National Center for Atmospheric Research is a federally funded research and development center for the atmospheric and related Earth system sciences, managed by the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colorado. Established in 1960, NCAR conducts research and develops community tools that support understanding of the atmosphere, climate, weather, the Sun-Earth system, wildfires, and water. Its work spans observations, supercomputing, modeling, and field campaigns, with a mission that connects fundamental science to societal needs such as forecasting, climate resilience, aviation, and hazard preparedness.

NCAR serves the broader research community as well as educators, students, decision-makers, and operational partners. A concrete example is the Community Earth System Model, a major open scientific model used for climate research, and the Weather Research and Forecasting Model, which NCAR helped develop and supports for a wide user community. NCAR also operates significant scientific infrastructure, including the NSF NCAR-Wyoming Supercomputing Center in Cheyenne, Wyoming, and it maintains aircraft and observing capabilities for field research. Education and workforce development are part of its role through programs for graduate students, postdoctoral researchers, and undergraduate participants, including the long-running Significant Opportunities in Atmospheric Research and Science internship program for undergraduate students. NCAR’s facilities in Boulder, including the Mesa Laboratory, also support public engagement through visitor exhibits and educational programming. The center’s national role is to advance atmospheric and Earth system science while providing shared capabilities and research resources used across universities, government, and partner institutions.