Joint ARL/ESRL Workshop Aims to Develop Coordinated Research Strategy

April 2019

Approximately 30 scientists from across NOAA’s line offices, all of whom work with boundary layer observations and/or modeling, are gathered at NOAA’s Earth System Research Laboratory (ESRL) in Boulder, Colorado, April 23-24 to discuss common interests and areas for potential collaboration. Organized by ARL’s Tilden Meyers and ESRL’s Dave Turner, “An OAR Multi-Lab Integrated Observation and Modeling Approach to Understanding Land-Atmosphere Interactions: A Bedrock-to-Boundary Layer (B2B) Approach” is the latest in a series of strategic discussions stemming from a joint ARL-ESRL laboratory summit in January 2018.

The workshop’s objective is to develop a research strategy that coordinates land-atmosphere observational and modeling activities that will enhance NOAA’s prediction systems from synoptic to seasonal and decadal time scales (e.g. from routine hourly/daily, to short-term and long-term). Specific focus areas include the physical processes that govern momentum, heat, and water vapor exchange from the land surface into the boundary layer – the layer of the atmosphere where we live and where both weather and climate begin. By familiarizing themselves with activities at other organizations, attendees are hoping to identify a set of scientific land-atmosphere questions that span the research interests of all participants.

The B2B workshop participants are taking the first major step toward enabling the development of a strategic vision for the design and implementation of a research program that will improve both models and measurements. The meeting’s outcome will be summarized in a white paper for dissemination within NOAA Research and next steps will be determined by the feedback received. Organizers foresee several additional workshops as NOAA progresses toward both a cohesive land-atmosphere science plan that integrates activities across the different laboratories and programs and a unified modeling system.