The future of atmospheric boundary layer research in the NOAA Air Resources Laboratory

For over 75 years, the NOAA Air Resources Laboratory has led science and development programs in atmospheric boundary layer research. Looking to the future, ARL remains focused on improving the ability of the Nation to protect human and ecosystem health and to support a vibrant economy through advanced atmospheric sciences and technologies. Emerging areas of scientific development include greenhouse gas modeling, urban climate, and fire weather. ARL is starting a collaborative program to identify biases and uncertainties in greenhouse gas emissions inventories in urban areas, such as Washington, DC with a plan to expand to other major cities. Furthermore, for urban climate, ARL’s expertise with high-quality, reference-grade observations translates well to cities where air temperature (i.e. heat) can vary greatly across neighborhoods and landscapes. In addition, improving forecast accuracy of weather and visibility, smoke and dust transport, and air quality with new algorithms and tools is the focus of ARL’s current and future research. To address scientific and societal challenges, ARL will leverage the latest technologies, including data assimilation, machine learning, artificial intelligence, uncrewed aircraft systems (i.e. drones), and state-of-the-art sensors, to provide more accurate observations and improved model parameterizations.