NOAA Atmospheric Research - Connecting Boulder, CO and Charleston, SC
Brian Vasel, NOAA-OAR Earth System Research Laboratory
11 Jan 2013
NOAA's Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research (OAR) is a line office dedicated to integrating research and scientific innovation across NOAA. The OAR/Earth System Research Laboratory (ESRL) in Boulder, Colorado is home to many of NOAA's atmospheric research programs and climate records. Brian Vasel serves as the ESRL observatories manager supporting long-term research sites across the globe and will spend the next year working remotely for ESRL from the Hollings Marine Lab.
Identifying, developing, and understanding the linkages between the atmospheric research located in Boulder and the societal and biological research in Charleston is a goal of both OAR and NOS. In an effort to begin this process, the first half of this talk will present a general overview of NOAA-Boulder’s climate records, research products, and the creation of global standards for greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, and methane.
The second portion of this talk will focus on the six NOAA Atmospheric Baseline Observatories (Barrow, AK; Trinidad Head, CA; Mauna Loa, HI; Cape Matatula, American Samoa; South Pole, Antarctica; and Summit Station, Greenland) addressing what NOAA measures at these sites and why. Discussion will also highlight how cooperative projects are managed and field experiences/technical challenges to living and working in some of the most inhospitable climates in the world, including the experiences of two winters at the geographic South Pole, Antarctica and summer fieldwork in Greenland.
Ample time will be provided for questions and discussion.