NSF NCAR Research Applications Laboratory
@ncar-ral.bsky.social
180 followers 160 following 71 posts
Conducting directed research & engineering to discover solutions to societal problems • Science with and for Society • ral.ucar.edu
Posts Media Videos Starter Packs
Reposted by NSF NCAR Research Applications Laboratory
ncar-ucar.bsky.social
Congrats to our 6 researchers that were awarded fellowships & other honors by the American Geophysical Union & American Meteorological Society! The awardees have shared high quality contributions to the field.
https://news.ucar.edu/133041/nsf-ncar-researchers-win-prestigious-ams-agu-honors
Reposted by NSF NCAR Research Applications Laboratory
ucarscied.bsky.social
What causes clouds to form? In some cases, mountains are the answer!
When wind blows up over a mountain range, the air rises and cools, and eventually enough moisture will condense out of the air to form a cloud. This results in lenticular clouds (picture 1) and stratus clouds (picture 2)!
Lenticular clouds over a mountain range Stratus clouds hanging over a lake with trees partially obscured in the background
ncar-ral.bsky.social
🔥 Proud to support this vital work! Our tools help predict wildfire behavior so firefighters & communities can respond faster & smarter - protecting lives & property. 🚒🌤 Learn more about the Benefits and Impacts of our Wildfire Weather Research: ral.ucar.edu/impacts/wild...
Reposted by NSF NCAR Research Applications Laboratory
djgagnedos.bsky.social
It's great to see the big crowd here in Boulder for the UCAR Members Meeting. I will be at the CISL booth during the reception this evening, so please come say hi and learn more about all the AI work we're doing at NSF NCAR.
Reposted by NSF NCAR Research Applications Laboratory
ncar-ucar.bsky.social
ENCORE!📣 NSF NCAR scientist Kelly Barsanti will be giving an encore presentation of her Explorer Series lecture on air quality. Join us on Thurs., Oct. 9 at the Longmont Museum from 7-9PM; hope to see you there!

https://longmontcolorado.gov/event/ncar-explorer-series-a-history-of-urban-air-quality/
Reposted by NSF NCAR Research Applications Laboratory
cira-csu.bsky.social
Following their dance together near the United States' East Coast, the last few days saw Hurricane Imelda absorb the remnants of Hurricane Humberto after its dissipation.
Reposted by NSF NCAR Research Applications Laboratory
ncar-ucar.bsky.social
The 2025 Super Science Saturday is going to be… well, SUPER! 🦸‍♂️ Hosted by UCAR SciEd, our heroic staff are assembling on Sat, Nov. 1 from 10AM-4PM for a super-powered day of science and fun for the whole family at the Mesa Lab! https://scied.ucar.edu/visit/ncar/super-science-saturday
Graphic includes text "Heroes Assemble" in an exclamation bubble, the text "Super Science Saturday" with an orange background. One photo on the top includes scientists at an activity table talking to children, and the bottom photo shows a scientist helping a group of children to deploy a weather balloon.
ncar-ral.bsky.social
✈️ 🚙 🌨️ Travel safety is at the heart of what we do! ❤️ From aviation turbulence, icing, wind shear, & severe storms, to road weather snow, ice, & fog, our research helps keep travelers moving safely. Proud to advance aviation & surface transportation innovation.
ral.ucar.edu/what-we-do
ncar-ucar.bsky.social
Extreme weather can delay travel and pose serious safety risks, but our research supports safe travel in the sky and on the road. We’re providing pilots with tools to steer clear of storms and developing systems to keep vehicles safe in winter weather. https://researchworks.ucar.edu/travel/
A woman sits in the cockpit of an airplane. She is the pilot. Text next to her reads: Research bolsters travel safety.
Reposted by NSF NCAR Research Applications Laboratory
ncar-ucar.bsky.social
NSF NCAR scientists are working on an experimental hurricane forecast using advanced computing w/ Model for Prediction Across Scales (MPAS) run on the Derecho supercomputer. So far, this new system predicted Typhoon Ragasa, the strongest weather system this year, many days ahead in high definition.
Hi res image of Typhoon Ragasa using the experimental model.
ncar-ral.bsky.social
🤩 👏 Stronger research means stronger communities. At NSF NCAR RAL, our work in high-resolution, short-term forecasting helps users across sectors - aviation, transportation, military, water, emergency, & more - make safer, faster decisions during severe weather. More:
ral.ucar.edu/technologies...
Reposted by NSF NCAR Research Applications Laboratory
ucarscied.bsky.social
Suit up, scientists in training! 🥼 Super Science Saturday is just around the corner on November 1st from 10:00 am - 4:00 pm at the NSF NCAR Mesa Lab in Boulder, CO. Heroes unite to harness the superpowers of science!
A scientist holding a weather balloon outside that a group of kids are reaching out to touch.
Reposted by NSF NCAR Research Applications Laboratory
cira-csu.bsky.social
Tropical Storm Mitag makes landfall in southeastern China while Tropical Storms Ragasa and Neoguri strengthen over the western Pacific Ocean.
Reposted by NSF NCAR Research Applications Laboratory
ncar-ucar.bsky.social
The Advanced Study Program’s Graduate Visitor Program Fellowship is accepting applications! This fellowship allows graduate students to work on their thesis, dissertation, or final project equivalent, with guidance from NSF NCAR scientists and engineers.
Reposted by NSF NCAR Research Applications Laboratory
comet-meted.bsky.social
Machine Learning training is in serious demand in the Earth System Science community. But what is needed? Help UCAR Community Programs (UCP) at @ncar-ucar.bsky.social figure that out by taking our survey.

✅ Take the survey here: docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...
Reposted by NSF NCAR Research Applications Laboratory
Reposted by NSF NCAR Research Applications Laboratory
ncar-ucar.bsky.social
With Rice University, a new project called the SCI-SWIM will help our Community Earth System Model trace where water comes from by focusing on stable water isotopes that give clues to the origins of water, from ice sheets to the ocean and everything in between.
news.ucar.edu/133039/new-m...
ncar-ral.bsky.social
Join Us Today! 1-2 PM (MT) 🌲 Dr. Lijie Zhang, Washington State University presents: 🌲 Examining the Influence of Heterogeneous Forest Canopy on Shallow Convection at the Third ARM Mobile Site
🌎 Explore, Learn, Connect - RAL Seminar Series 🌎
Watch Live: ral.ucar.edu/live
ncar-ral.bsky.social
💡⚡Here’s to a smarter, stronger grid! At NSF NCAR RAL, we're also helping to secure the nation’s energy with advanced modeling, forecasting, and decision-support tools - keeping energy reliable for communities across the country. Learn more! ral.ucar.edu/renewable-en...
ncar-ral.bsky.social
💧🏔️New study finds eastern Colorado is drying faster than the Western Slope “The growing population & drying in the east is going to mean cities like Denver, Boulder & Longmont are going to become even more dependent on water we take from the west,” Alex Stebbins NSF NCAR.
www.cpr.org/2025/09/15/e...
A new study finds eastern Colorado is drying faster than the Western Slope due to climate change
The split could leave the Front Range even more dependent on piping water across the continental divide.
www.cpr.org
Reposted by NSF NCAR Research Applications Laboratory
ucarscied.bsky.social
So, when you see an ozone alert, it's about air quality conditions near the ground where we live and breathe, and not about the protective ozone layer high above us!
A green field overlooking the Flatirons in the background on a sunny day
Reposted by NSF NCAR Research Applications Laboratory
ncar-ucar.bsky.social
🔭The development team has completed the Final Design Review for COSMO’s Large Coronagraph, a solar telescope helping scientists to study the magnetic processes before a geomagnetic storm.
📍The team has narrowed down the sites for this new observatory & deployed instruments to continue assess them.
A suite of instruments overlook a mountainous area. A suite of instruments overlook a shrubby area in the morning sunrise.
ncar-ral.bsky.social
🌎 Explore, Learn, Connect - RAL Seminar Series 🌎
🌲 Examining the Influence of Heterogeneous Forest Canopy on Shallow Convection at the Third ARM Mobile Site
🌲 Dr. Lijie Zhang, Washington State University
🌲 WED, Sept 17 | 1-2 PM (MT) | Free hybrid event
More! ral.ucar.edu/events/2025/...
Examining the Influence of Heterogeneous Forest Canopy on Shallow Convection at the Third ARM Mobile Site, Dr. Lijie Zhang, Washington State University
ncar-ral.bsky.social
⭐We're honored to be a part of this mission & support our military with cutting-edge weather prediction tools that protect soldiers, strengthen security, & safeguard communities. Our tools are in operational use at the DoD supporting mission-critical decisions.
Learn more: ral.ucar.edu/urban-weather
ncar-ucar.bsky.social
NSF NCAR & UCAR provide tools & global weather insights to help the military operate w/ greater safety, precision & foresight. From hi-res forecasts to machine learning systems detecting airborne threats, publicly-funded research strengthens nat'l security:https://bit.ly/4pdl2ek