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This document has been archived. For current NSF funding opportunities, see
https://www.nsf.gov/funding/browse_all_funding.jsp
Directorate
for Geosciences
Division of Atmospheric Sciences
The Division of Atmospheric Sciences
(ATM) supports research to increase understanding of the behavior of Earth's
atmosphere and its interactions with the Sun. Included are studies of the
physics, chemistry, and dynamics of Earth's upper and lower atmospheres
and its space environment; research on climate processes and variations;
and studies to understand the natural global cycles of gases and particles
in Earth's atmosphere. NSF also provides support for participation by the
U.S. scientific community in international scientific research endeavors,
such as the World Climate Research Program.
Submission of Proposals to ATM
Proposals may be submitted at any time during the year for all programs
in the ATM Division except special programs such as Earth System History
(ESH); Coupling, Energetics, and Dynamics of Atmospheric Regions (CEDAR);
and Geospace Environmental Modeling (GEM). Proposals submitted to ATM that
request the allocation of observation and computing facilities must also
be submitted to the appropriate facility manager. (For more information,
see Lower Atmospheric Observing Facilities or National Center for Atmospheric
Research under the Centers and Facilities section.) Proposals should be
submitted to the appropriate NSF program and should follow the guidelines
printed in the NSF Grant Proposal Guide (see https://www.nsf.gov/publications/pub_summ.jsp?ods_key=gpg for latest version). For projects that propose the use of lower atmospheric
observing facilities or computing resources, a facility request also is
required. A facility request should be sent to the manager of each facility
where the proposed work would take place. Procedures for requesting the
use of a facility are established by the institution managing the facility.
It is important for institutions submitting a request to seek advice from
the Lower Atmospheric Observing Facilities manager at NSF. Those submitting
facility requests requiring more than $500,000 in deployment costs are required
to submit a preproposal to NSF 4 months before the actual deadline for submission
of proposals.
Any questions on the use of computing resources should be directed to
the Director, Scientific Computing Division (SCD), National Center for Atmospheric
Research (NCAR), P.O. Box 3000, Boulder, CO 80307; or visit the SCD Web
site, http://www.scd.ucar.edu.
• Lower
Atmosphere Research
1. Atmospheric Chemistry
Supports research to measure and model
the concentration and distribution of gases and aerosols in the lower and
middle atmosphere. The program also supports research on chemical reactions
among atmospheric species, the sources and sinks of important trace gases
and aerosols, aqueous-phase atmospheric chemistry, the transport of gases
and aerosols throughout the atmosphere, and improved methods for measuring
the concentrations of trace species and their fluxes into and out of the
atmosphere.
2. Climate Dynamics
Supports research on the processes that govern
climate and the causes of climate variability and change, methods to predict
climate variations, the assembly and analysis of modern climatic data,
and the development and use of climate models to diagnose and simulate climate
and its variations and changes.
3. Large-Scale Dynamic Meteorology
Supports basic research to improve
the understanding and prediction of atmospheric motion on scales from synoptic
to planetary. Research topics include general circulation of the troposphere
and stratosphere, synoptic-scale weather phenomena, atmospheric predictability,
data assimilation, and parameterization of physical processes and numerical
methods for use in large-scale models.
4. Mesoscale Dynamic Meteorology
Supports research on all aspects
of mesoscale meteorological phenomena, including studies of the morphological,
thermodynamic, and kinematic structure of mesoscale systems; the development
of mesoscale systems and precipitation processes; and the energy transfer
between scales.
5. Paleoclimate
Supports research on the natural evolution of Earth’s
climate with the goal of providing a baseline for present variability and
future trends through improved understanding of the physical, chemical,
and biological processes that influence climate over the long term.
6. Physical Meteorology
Supports basic research on the physics of
the atmosphere, with emphasis on cloud and precipitation physics; the transfer
of solar and terrestrial radiation; atmospheric measurements, including
active and passive remote sensing; and atmospheric electricity and acoustics.
The program also supports research in micrometeorology, particularly turbulence,
boundary-layer processes, and wave phenomena.
• Upper Atmosphere Research
1. Aeronomy
Supports research on upper and middle atmosphere phenomena
of ionization, recombination, chemical reaction, photoemission, and transport;
the transport of energy, momentum, and mass in the mesosphere/thermosphere/ionosphere
system, including the processes involved and the coupling of this global
system to the stratosphere below and magnetosphere above; and the plasma
physics of phenomena manifested in the coupled ionosphere/magnetosphere
system, including the effects of high-power radio wave modification.
2. Magnetospheric Physics
Supports research on the magnetized plasma
envelope of the outer atmosphere, including energization by solar wind;
the origin of geomagnetic storms and substorms; the population by solar
and ionospheric sources; the origin of electric fields; the coupling among
the magnetosphere, ionosphere, and atmosphere; and waves and instabilities
in the natural plasma. Also supported are ground-based observational programs
at high latitudes. Theoretical research programs may include numerical
simulations using a variety of magnetohydrodynamics, hybrid, and particle
codes. The
analysis of data from all sources, whether ground-based or from spacecraft,
is also supported.
3. Solar-Terrestrial
Supports research on the processes by which
energy in diverse forms is generated by the Sun, transported to the Earth,
and ultimately deposited in the terrestrial environment. Major topics include
helioseismology, the solar dynamo, the activity cycle, the magnetic flux
emergence, solar flares and activity, coronal mass ejections, solar wind
heating, interactions with cosmic rays, and solar wind/magnetosphere boundary
problems. Studies on terrestrial influences include solar spectral irradiance
changes, solar “constant” changes and climatic impacts; C14
and Sun/climate connections; and solar activity and its effects on the terrestrial
environment of various time scales.
• Centers And Facilities
- Lower Atmospheric Observing Facilities (LAOF)
- Upper Atmospheric Facilities (UAF)
- National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR)
- UNIDATA
1. Lower Atmospheric Observing Facilities (LAOF)
The LAOF Program supports multiuser national research facilities that
offer educational opportunities and serve the observational needs of the
atmospheric science research community. These facilities include the following:
- Aircraft—Located
at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) is a four-engine
Lockheed EC-130Q Hercules; at the University
of Wyoming, a Beech King Air; and at the South Dakota School of Mines
and Technology, an armored T-28. These aircraft can be equipped with sensors
to measure meteorological and chemical state parameters. A variety of
instruments
can be selected for a particular project, or users may supply specialized
instrumentation.
- Radar—NCAR operates an airborne X-band—a
dual-beam, rapid-conical-scanning, multiple-frequency radar—and
a transportable multiparameter S/X-band Doppler radar. Colorado State
University (CSU) operates
a transportable CSU S-band radar that provides two complete transmit and
receive channels.
- Other Facilities—NCAR operates surface-observing
systems that measure surface fluxes of trace chemical species, water vapor,
sensible
heat, and momentum. NCAR also operates a network of surface meteorology
stations that measure wind, temperature, humidity, pressure, solar radiation,
and precipitation.
NCAR also provides a number of systems that measure the vertical profile
of temperature, moisture, pressure, and winds in the troposphere.
Eligibility Requirements for LAOF Proposals
LAOF are available on a competitive basis to all qualified scientists.
Use of LAOF is based on the scientific merit of the research proposed, the
capabilities of the facilities to carry out the proposed observations, and
the availability of the facility during the requested time.
2. Upper Atmospheric Facilities (UAF)
NSF supports four large incoherent-scatter radar multiuser facilities
located along a longitudinal chain from Greenland to Peru. Each facility
is also equipped with powerful optical diagnostic instruments. In response
to a need for more understanding of global-scale thermospheric and ionospheric
problems, these facilities have been upgraded and realigned into a chain
extending from the edge of the polar cap to the magnetic equator.
The major goal of the UAF Program is to promote basic research on the
structure and dynamics of the Earth’s upper atmosphere. Research is
supported through the following activities:
- Sondrestrom Research Facility—Located in Sondre Stromfjord,
Greenland, this facility is operated by SRI International under cooperative
agreement with NSF. The facility allows observations on the edge of the
polar cap, the cusp, and the northern part of the auroral oval.
- Millstone Hill Radar—Located near Boston, Massachusetts,
and operated by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology under a cooperative
agreement with NSF, this facility is south of the auroral oval in a region
where significant midlatitude phenomena are observed. The radar provides
observations of high-altitude regions from almost directly above the radar
in Sondre Stromfjord to almost directly above the next radar in the chain
at Arecibo, Puerto Rico.
- Arecibo Observatory—Located in Arecibo, Puerto Rico, this
observatory is operated by Cornell University's National Astronomy and Ionosphere
Center under cooperative agreement with NSF. At Arecibo’s latitude,
scientists have obtained evidence of particle precipitation in the atmosphere,
composition changes in the atmosphere after magnetic storms, gravity waves
propagating from the auroral region, and the penetration of magnetospheric
electric fields.
- Jicamarca Radio Observatory—Located at the magnetic equator
in Jicamarca, Peru, this observatory is owned by the Instituto Geofisico
de Peru. Through a cooperative agreement with Cornell University, NSF acts
as the principal sponsor of the facility, which provides a subcontract to
the Institute.
3. National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR)
The National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) in Boulder, Colorado,
is a focal point for research in the field of atmospheric and related sciences.
NCAR is supported by NSF and managed under a cooperative agreement between
NSF and the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research, a nonprofit
consortium of North American universities with graduate programs in atmospheric
sciences.
The facilities at NCAR serve the entire atmospheric sciences research
community and part of the ocean science community. Facilities include a
computing and data center that provides supercomputer resources and services
for the development and production of large models and for archiving, manipulating,
and visualizing large data sets. For information on other NCAR facilities,
see Lower Atmospheric Observing Facilities elsewhere in this section.
NCAR’s scientific research programs focus on subjects such as large-scale
atmospheric and ocean dynamics; global and regional atmospheric chemistry;
the variable nature of the Sun and the physics of the corona; the physics
of clouds, thunderstorms, and precipitation formation and their interactions
and effects on larger scale weather; and human society’s impact on
and response to global environmental change. NCAR also provides fellowships
for visiting scientists to conduct research and interact with NCAR scientists.
The Scientific Computing Division (SCD) is part of NCAR. SCD’s goal
is to enable the best atmospheric research in the world by providing and
advancing high-performance computing technologies. SCD offers computing,
research data sets, data storage, networking, and data analysis tools to
advance NCAR’s scientific research agenda.
Eligibility Requirements for NCAR Proposals
Support for facilities and visiting scientists is provided on a competitive
basis to qualified scientists according to scientific merit, the availability
of facility time, and the level of resources.
4. UNIDATA
UNIDATA is a national program to help universities access, analyze, and
display a wide range of atmospheric data on their own computers, often in
real time. The program is managed by UCAR and is supported by NSF’s
Division of Atmospheric Sciences. UNIDATA serves a broad community, including
teaching and research professionals in weather forecasting, climate studies,
atmospheric analysis and modeling, and related disciplines.
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