NCAR was instrumental in developinglidar, light radar, now a key archaeological tool, as well as providing a broad array of tools and technologies to the scientific community for studyingEarth's atmosphere, including,[5][6]
Specialized instruments to measure atmospheric processes
The center is staffed by scientists, engineers, technicians, and support personnel.[4] Key research areas include:[9]
Climate (Earth's past, present, and future climate; thegreenhouse effect,global warming, and climate change; El Niño, La Niña, and other large-scale atmospheric patterns; drought, wildfires)
Meteorology/Weather (short-term forecasts; weather forecasting and predictability; weather's effect on climate; hurricanes, tornadoes, and other severe storms; physical processes)
Environmental and societal impacts (impacts of climate change on the natural and managed environment; interactions of weather, climate, and society; weather hazard systems for aviation and ground transportation; national security)
Pollution andair chemistry (air pollution on local, regional, and global scales; air chemistry and climate; chemical evolution and transport in the atmosphere)
The Sun andspace weather (the structure of the Sun, from its interior to sunspots to the solar corona; the solar cycle; the Sun's effect on Earth's weather and climate; space weather)
Other components of theEarth system (the effects on weather and climate of interactions with: the oceans and other components of Earth'swater cycle, including sea ice, glaciers, and the rest of the cryosphere; forests, agriculture, urbanization and other types of land use)
NCAR is currently organized into seven laboratories and two programs:[12]
Laboratories
Atmospheric Chemistry Observations and Modeling laboratory (ACOM)
Climate and Global Dynamics laboratory (CGD)
Computational & Information Systems Laboratory (CISL) – CISL was formerly known as the Scientific Computing Division (SCD). CISL manages and operates NCAR's supercomputers, mass storage system, networking, and other computing and cyberinfrastructure services. The Institute for Mathematics Applied to Geosciences (IMAGe) is a research division within CISL.[12]
Earth Observing Laboratory (EOL) – EOL was formerly known as the Atmospheric Technology Division (ATD). EOL manages and operates NCAR's lower atmosphere observing systems, including ground-based instrumentation and two research aircraft, on behalf of the NSF.
High Altitude Observatory (HAO) – The oldest part of NCAR, HAO is NCAR's solar-terrestrial physics laboratory. Research foci are the Sun and the Earth's upper atmosphere. HAO operates the Mauna Loa Solar Observatory (MLSO).
Mesoscale and Microscale Meteorology laboratory (MMM)
Research Applications Laboratory (RAL)
Programs
Advanced Study Program (ASP)
Integrated Science Program (ISP)
NCAR's service to the universities and larger geosciences community is reinforced by the offerings of UCAR'scommunity programs.[13][14]
NCAR is managed by the nonprofitUCAR and is one of theNSF'sFederally Funded Research and Development Centers, with approximately 95% of its funding coming from the federal government. However, it is not a federal agency and its employees are not part of the federal personnel system.[3] NCAR employs about 761 staff. Its annual expenditures in fiscal year 2015 were $167.8 million.[3][15]
On December 17, 2025,Russell Vought, director of the White HouseOffice of Management and Budget, announced that theNational Science Foundation would dismantle NCAR.[16] In his statement, he said that the center is "one of the largest sources ofclimate alarmism in the country".[17] This is part of the battle overclimate change research undertaken by Donald Trump's second presidency since January 2025, Vought being involved inProject 2025 of which this is one component.[18] Colorado's Senators made multiple attempts to ensure future funding for the institute. As of January 2026, the future funding prospects remained unclear.[19]
