NOAA-CIRES

NOAA-CIRES
Name	NOAA-CIRES
Formation	1965
Type	Research partnership
Headquarters	Boulder, Colorado
Location	University of Colorado Boulder
Affiliations	National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences, National Center for Atmospheric Research

NOAA-CIRES NOAA-CIRES is a long-standing cooperative research partnership centered in Boulder, Colorado that brings together researchers from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences, and the University of Colorado Boulder to advance atmospheric, oceanic, and cryospheric science. The partnership supports interdisciplinary work linking observational programs such as NOAA Global Monitoring Laboratory, modeling efforts like the Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory and Community Earth System Model, and field campaigns associated with Arctic Research Commission agendas and IPCC assessments.

Overview

NOAA-CIRES functions at the intersection of federal science agencies including National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Environmental Protection Agency, and Department of Commerce and academic institutions such as Colorado State University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Stanford University, and Harvard University. The institute engages with international bodies including World Meteorological Organization, United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research, and Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission. Its portfolio spans collaborations with programs like Global Earth Observation System of Systems, GOES-R Series Program, Argo (oceanography), LTER Network, and NOAA Research Laboratories to address scientific priorities highlighted by panels such as National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine and reports by Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

History

The partnership emerged amid postwar investments in geoscience alongside institutions like Lamont–Doherty Earth Observatory and Scripps Institution of Oceanography, connecting to landmark efforts including International Geophysical Year (1957–58), First World Climate Conference (1979), and the establishment of agencies like National Weather Service and NOAA under the Department of Commerce. Over decades it supported field efforts in regions studied by Amundsen–Scott South Pole Station, McMurdo Station, and Thule Air Base, contributing datasets later used in syntheses such as the Global Climate Observing System reports and studies cited by authors in Nature (journal), Science (journal), and the Journal of Climate.

Organizational Structure and Collaboration

NOAA-CIRES governance integrates leadership models familiar from institutions like Smithsonian Institution, Brookings Institution, and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, with articulation among directors, program managers, and principal investigators from entities including the NOAA Research Council, University Corporation for Atmospheric Research, and Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES). It maintains formal memoranda with federal laboratories such as Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory, Earth System Research Laboratories, and Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory, and coordinates data stewardship via partnerships with National Centers for Environmental Information, NOAA Big Data Program, and archives like NOAA Central Library and the National Snow and Ice Data Center. External advisory boards often include representatives from European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts, Japan Meteorological Agency, Canadian Meteorological Centre, and funding agencies such as National Science Foundation and Department of Energy.

Research Programs and Projects

Research initiatives connect to flagship efforts such as Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Climate Research Facility, Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observation, Stratospheric Aerosol and Gas Experiment, and the Global Carbon Project. NOAA-CIRES scientists participate in observational networks like Global Atmosphere Watch, GLOSS, TAO/TRITON, and AERONET, and contribute to modeling frameworks including Community Earth System Model, Weather Research and Forecasting Model, WRF-Chem, and NOAA Unified Forecast System. Project-level collaborations have supported campaigns such as HIPPO (HIAPER Pole-to-Pole Observations), SHEBA (Surface Heat Budget of the Arctic Ocean), ARM Mobile Facility deployments, and programs tied to Greenland Ice Sheet Project efforts and International Polar Year (2007–2008). Research outputs inform assessments by Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, policy reviews by U.S. Global Change Research Program, and tool development used by operational centers including National Weather Service and NOAA National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service.

Facilities and Resources

Located near facilities like NOAA Boulder Laboratory, NCAR Mesa Laboratory, and University of Colorado Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics, NOAA-CIRES researchers access instrumentation tied to platforms such as NOAA P-3 Orion, Gulfstream IV-SP, Global Hawk, and observation systems like GOES satellites, Suomi NPP, Jason (satellite), and ICESat. Laboratory capabilities include analytical suites comparable to those at Scripps Institution of Oceanography and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, and computational access includes allocations on systems like NCAR-Wyoming Supercomputing Center, NASA Advanced Supercomputing, and resources supported by XSEDE. Data management interoperates with repositories such as Earthdata, PANGAEA, and the National Snow and Ice Data Center for cryospheric datasets used in studies of phenomena like El Niño–Southern Oscillation, Arctic amplification, and Antarctic ice sheet dynamics.

Education, Outreach, and Public Engagement

NOAA-CIRES engages students and the public through partnerships with universities such as University of Colorado Boulder and Colorado State University, outreach programs modeled after National Ocean Service initiatives, and public interfaces similar to Smithsonian Institution exhibitions. It supports training programs tied to fellowships like NOAA Paul V. Sheridan Award, internships coordinated with NASA DEVELOP, and graduate education connected to Graduate Research Fellowship Program and university degree programs. Public communication activities include contributions to media outlets such as National Public Radio, The New York Times, and scientific journalism venues like Scientific American and Nature News and participation in events like Earth Day and International Science Festival to disseminate research on topics including climate change, air quality, sea level rise, and polar science.

Category:Cooperative institutes