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| Atmospheric System Research | |
|---|---|
| Name | Atmospheric System Research |
| Abbreviation | ASR |
| Formed | 2006 |
| Headquarters | United States |
| Parent organization | United States Department of Energy |
| Jurisdiction | United States |
Atmospheric System Research
Atmospheric System Research is a United States Department of Energy program focused on understanding atmospheric processes relevant to climate and energy systems. The program coordinates research across national laboratories, universities, and federal agencies to connect observations, theory, and models for improved predictions. It informs stakeholders such as the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Environmental Protection Agency, National Science Foundation, and international partners including the World Meteorological Organization and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
ASR integrates field campaigns, facility operations, and modeling to study aerosol physics, cloud microphysics, radiation, and boundary layer dynamics. Participating institutions include Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Argonne National Laboratory, Sandia National Laboratories, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Princeton University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, California Institute of Technology, University of Colorado Boulder, University of Washington, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, and University of California, Berkeley. ASR outputs are used by programs such as Coupled Model Intercomparison Project, Climate Model Intercomparison Project, Atmospheric Radiation Measurement, ARM Mobile Facility, and observational platforms like MODIS, CALIPSO, CloudSat, GOES and Suomi NPP.
ASR traces roots to DOE initiatives in the late 20th century that linked facility operations like Atmospheric Radiation Measurement with modeling centers at National Renewable Energy Laboratory and academic partners. The program grew amid national efforts tied to reports such as those by the National Research Council and strategic plans by the Office of Science and Technology Policy. Key milestones include coordination with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change assessment cycles, contributions to the U.S. Global Change Research Program, and collaborations with the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts and Met Office. Leadership and advisory roles have included scientists affiliated with institutions like Harvard University, Yale University, Columbia University, University of Michigan, University of Chicago, Cornell University, University of California, Los Angeles, and Imperial College London.
ASR emphasizes quantifying aerosol–cloud–radiation interactions, boundary layer processes, convective dynamics, and chemical–aerosol coupling. Research themes intersect with climate assessments by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and energy analyses by the International Energy Agency. The program develops parameterizations tested against data from campaigns endorsed by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, NASA, European Space Agency, German Aerospace Center, and field studies associated with universities such as University of Manchester, University of Reading, University of Toronto, McGill University, Australian National University, and University of Tokyo.
ASR leverages surface observatories like facilities under Atmospheric Radiation Measurement and airborne platforms sponsored by National Aeronautics and Space Administration, NOAA Hurricane Research Division, and university fleets at Pennsylvania State University and University Corporation for Atmospheric Research. Remote sensing instruments include lidars tied to projects like CALIPSO and radars used in CloudSat validation. Modeling suites span process models, large-eddy simulation frameworks developed at Los Alamos National Laboratory and National Center for Atmospheric Research, regional models affiliated with Environmental Protection Agency applications, and global models contributing to the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project led by World Climate Research Programme. Data assimilation and uncertainty quantification efforts draw on techniques from Princeton University, Columbia University, Stanford University, University of Oxford, and ETH Zurich.
Major coordinated efforts include collaborations with Atmospheric Radiation Measurement, cross-agency activities with NASA Earth Science Division, joint projects with NOAA Earth System Research Laboratory, and international partnerships through the World Meteorological Organization and Global Atmospheric System Studies. ASR scientists engage in mission support for Aqua, Terra, and airborne campaigns connected to SEAC4RS, ACE-ENA, HIPPO, ARISE, and CalNex. Funding and governance intersect with entities such as the Department of Energy Office of Science, the National Science Foundation Division of Atmospheric and Geospace Sciences, and advisory input from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.
ASR has advanced understanding of aerosol indirect effects, mixed-phase cloud processes, and the role of shallow convection in climate sensitivity. Contributions include improved parameterizations adopted in models used by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and incorporation of process-level constraints into Earth system models from centers like NCAR and Met Office. ASR-supported analyses have influenced assessments by the U.S. Global Change Research Program and informed policy-relevant syntheses involving United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change stakeholders. Collaborative publications have appeared with coauthors from Princeton University, Columbia University, Harvard University, MIT, University of California, San Diego, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of Miami, Texas A&M University, and University of Arizona.
Outstanding challenges include reducing uncertainties in aerosol–cloud interactions highlighted in reports by the National Research Council and improving representations of convective organization relevant to projections used by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Future directions emphasize integration with global modeling activities such as CMIP6 and observational advances from missions like PACE and initiatives supported by European Space Agency and JAXA. Continued collaboration with international laboratories such as Max Planck Institute for Meteorology, Laboratoire de Météorologie Dynamique, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Météo-France, and CSIRO will remain central to reducing climate projection uncertainty.
Category:United States Department of Energy programs