For the first time, NCAR scientists and colleagues have modeled the complex structure of sunspots in a comprehensive 3D computer simulation, giving scientists their first glimpse below the visible surface, or photosphere, of the Sun to understand sunspots' underlying physical processes.
June 8, 2009, at 8:05 a.m., the Sunrise balloon was successfully launched from Esrange Space Center in Kiruna, Sweden. This multimedia gallery offers videos and photographs.
The largest and most ambitious tornado study in history, known as VORTEX2 (Verification of the Origins of Rotation in Tornadoes EXperiment 2), was conducted from May 10 to June 13, 2009, as dozens of scientists deployed radars and other ground-based instruments across the Great Plains to gain a better understanding of these often deadly weather events.
NCAR scientists and their colleagues are investigating efforts to build up snowpack in the western United States and bring more rain to drought-stricken regions around the world.
HIPPO is a three-year field project that undertakes the most extensive airborne sampling of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases in the atmosphere to date, from the Arctic to the Antarctic.
As computer models of climate become increasingly powerful, researchers are working toward predictions of climate change impacts in specific regions and even metropolitan areas.
NCAR has taken delivery of a new IBM supercomputer that will advance research into severe weather and the future of Earth's climate. The supercomputer, a Power 575 Hydro-Cluster, is the first in a highly energy-efficient class of machines to be shipped anywhere in the world.
The Sunrise project test clears the way for long-duration polar balloon flights beginning in 2009. These flights will capture unprecedented details of the Sun's surface. This multimedia gallery offers photographs, animations, and videos.
A new computer model simulates convection patterns in the deep interior of the Sun in unprecedented detail. The patterns, known as giant cells, play a critical role in solar variability, influencing magnetic storms that take aim at Earth.
Using the nation's newest and most capable aircraft for environmental research, scientists have launched PACDEX, a far-reaching field project to study plumes of airborne dust and pollutants that originate in Asia and journey to North America.
