Climate Research Highlights of NOAA’s Air Resources Laboratory: Atmospheric Observations, Analysis, and Monitoring from the Surface to the Stratosphere

From its inception, the primary focus of NOAA’s Air Resources Laboratory (ARL and its precursor and affiliated organizations) has been atmospheric contaminants, ranging from nuclear fallout to smokestack emissions, from acid rain precursors to wildfire smoke, from biological chemicals to volcanic ash. This presentation explores ARL’s secondary focus – climate research.

ARL’s climate research activities span a half-century, from the 1970s to present, and are strongly tied to observations of the atmosphere, from the surface to the stratosphere. Key contributions include:

1. US and global climate monitoring using routine meteorological observations, in particular upper-air observations
2. Development of reference-quality atmospheric measurement systems and monitoring networks
3. Identification of global and regional upper-air climate variations and trends
4. Monitoring global atmospheric ozone profiles
5. Monitoring CO2 and other trace constituents at baseline observing sites

The presentation will: highlight ARL’s key contributions in each of the above areas; identify responsible ARL scientists; and put ARL’s work into a broader climate science context.