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Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research
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Silver Spring, MD 20910
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NOAA Strategic Goal: Climate Variability and Change

To carry out NOAA’s mission to provide climate forecasts and products, the Climate Program Office supports research projects across the nation conducted by investigators outside the federal government, within the federal government, and in NOAA Cooperative Institutes. This research is accomplished through the strong support of the academic and private sectors, as well as NOAA and other federal laboratories. The research contributes to improved predictions and assessments of the effects of climate variability over a range of time scales from season to season, year to year, and over the course of a decade and beyond. Grants Recipients: University of Utah

NOAA's Earth System Research Laboratory (ESRL) is working to develop regional climate analysis products to meet the needs of decision-makers in Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico and Utah. ESRL has developed a web site with links to regional climate resources to monitor drought conditions and other significant climate impacts: http://www.cdc.noaa.gov/ClimateInfo/drought.html.

The Earth System Research Laboratory operates nine stations as part of its integrated surface irradiance study (ISIS). The stations perform long-term, accurate measurements of the down welling broadband solar and ultraviolet-B radiation. Solar radiation is the driving energy for geophysical and biological processes that control weather and affect planetary life. One of these stations is located near Salt Lake City, Utah. Information about these stations can be found at http://www.srrb.noaa.gov.

NOAA's Earth System Research Laboratory contributes to a consensus seasonal forecast and other products for the fire season for Utah and other states. This new climate decision-support tool provides information for a seasonal fire danger outlook, used by the National Interagency Coordination Center for fires to make proactive short- and long-range decisions for strategy development and resource allocation, and to improve efficiency and firefighter safety.

NOAA's Earth System Research Laboratory (ESRL) scientists are working with U.S. Bureau of Reclamation reservoir managers in Utah to develop ways to use climate information in management of the Colorado River and its large reservoirs. For example, in the past, ESRL has co-sponsored one-day Colorado River Basin Outlook briefings in Salt Lake City, Utah for water managers, decision makers, and planning groups in the region to provide an assessment of current and projected climate conditions and water availability impacting the lower and upper Colorado River Basins.

NOAA’s Earth System Research Laboratory (ESRL) in partnership with the University of Colorado Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES) is working with the Glen Canyon Dam Adaptive Management Program (GCDAMP) to develop monitoring and predictive tools on warm season floods. These tools facilitate improved planning and operations. Researchers are focusing on a key concern identified by the GCDAMP related to the timing and volume of sediment input into the Grand Canyon. GCDAMP has representatives from the seven states in the Colorado River Basin.

NOAA’s Earth System Research Laboratory (ESRL) operates a Cooperative Global Air Sampling Network to measure the distribution and trends of carbon dioxide and methane, the two gases most responsible for human-caused climate change. Samples are collected weekly at 45 fixed locations and on several commercial ships. The air samples are delivered to the ESRL laboratory located in Boulder, CO. The observed geographical patterns and small but persistent spatial gradients are used to better understand the processes, both natural and human induced, that underlie the trends. Air samples have been collected at Wendover, Utah since 1993. The samples collected at Wendover represent air that has passed over the western U.S. and possibly Canada. These measurements help determine the magnitude of carbon sources and sinks in North America.

NOAA Strategic Goal: Weather and Air Quality

Computer systems developed by the NOAA Research Earth System Research Laboratory (ESRL) are in operation at all NOAA National Weather Service (NWS) field offices, one of which is located in Salt Lake City, Utah. ESRL has been the prime developer of the data ingest and display components of the NWS weather display and text generation system known as AWIPS (Advanced Weather Information Processing System). This system integrates meteorological, hydrological, satellite, and radar data. ESRL also developed the Interactive Forecast Preparation System Graphical Forecast Editor, a system that allows forecasters to display and manipulate forecast depictions of sensible weather (temperature, wind, precipitation, etc.), and use these to generate text and graphical forecasts for the public and other customers. NWS field offices are using this system to produce gridded forecast products, which allows forecasters to convey more information to the customers than they did in the past.

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Updated June 8, 2006