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Frequently Asked Questions
about UCAR/NCAR/UOP
Of external interest
Of internal interest
Of external interest
What's the difference between UCAR and NCAR?
The University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR) is a consortium of 63 university members, each of which grants doctoral degrees in the atmospheric and related sciences. UCAR manages the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) and the UCAR Office of Programs (UOP). NCAR provides tools such as aircraft and radar to observe the atmosphere and technology and assistance to interpret and use these observations. NCAR and university
scientists work together on a wide range of research in atmospheric chemistry, climate, cloud
physics and storms, weather hazards to aviation, and interactions between the sun and
earth. NCAR is sponsored by the National Science Foundation (NSF). Various NCAR and UOP activities are funded by other agencies as well. UCAR, NCAR, and UOP are all based in Boulder, Colorado.
Does NCAR do weather forecasting?
Not the kind most people are familiar with. NOAA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, is the federal agency that collects most of the nation's routine weather data and issues regular forecasts and severe weather warnings. At NCAR, we study the processes--from molecular motions to the solar system--that drive weather and climate.
Our Climate and Global Dynamics Division creates some of the world's most sophisticated software for studying global climate and projecting its behavior out to as far as 100 years. However, these projections are not official forecasts. The UCAR Office of Programs helps researchers at NCAR and elsewhere to carry out their work and provides data services and training for universities and the National Weather Service. Many top-notch forecasters work at NCAR and UCAR, helping develop tools to teach and assist meteorologists. For our favorite links to weather and forecasting Web sites, see the UCAR Weather page.
I'm working on a school science project. Where can I find weather and climate information from your Web site?
We have a set of fact sheets on various weather topics, including hail, lightning, tornadoes, and wind chill. NCAR's High Altitude Observatory has a solar education section with lots of background on how the sun works and how it affects the earth. You can find other brochures and links at our Informal Science Education site. If you're looking for current weather information, try the UCAR Weather page. It has several links to good weather and climate education sites around the country.
I'm a reporter. How do I find the right NCAR scientist to comment on breaking research?
Contact our Media Relations department, managed by David Hosansky, hosansky@ucar.edu, 303-497-8611. To learn more about current NCAR and UOP developments, check our news release page and the news section of the main UCAR Web page.
I need weather/climate data for a specific place and time. Can you help?
Two great sites maintained by NOAA allow you to plot weather and climate data for U.S. regions or cities.
- To get a map that shows how a given month, season, or year ranks in temperature or precipitation compared to the last 100 years for various regions of the country, go to the NOAA Climate Prediction Center's U.S. climate divisions plotting page.
- To get a graph of daily highs, lows, averages, and extremes for temperature and precipitation for a specific city, go to NOAA/CPC's U.S. Climate Page and select "Basic Climatology." You can also examine monthly rankings by city for the period 1961-1990.
- To get day-by-day plots of highs, lows, and rainfall for any time period on record (going as far back as 1945 for some U.S. stations), go to the National Climatic Data Center CLIMVIS page and select National Weather Service Summary of the Day. Some stations outside the U.S. are available under Global Summary of the Day.
Partially because of restrictions on international data exchange, there are few Web sites with comprehensive weather and climate data for cities outside the U.S. If you know of a good site, please contact Bob Henson, UCAR Communications.
Doesn't NCAR have its own archive of climate data?
Yes. Our Scientific Computing Division has teamed with NOAA to carry out an extensive "reanalysis" of weather records for the surface and upper atmosphere from the last 50 years. The results of this project were designed and formatted primarily for research scientists studying global weather and climate patterns.
More details and many other scientific data sets are available from SCD's Data Support Section. If you're a nonscientist interested in weather or climate data for a specific point, please consult the NOAA sites listed above.
Where can I find out what an acronym like NCDC or TOPEX stands for?
UCAR Communications maintains an on-line acronym
list that provides spellouts for hundreds of frequently used
acronyms in weather, climate, and related fields. If you come across
an acronym that's not on our list but should be, please contact
Yvonne Mondragon, 303-497-8601.
Can I get news from UCAR/NCAR/UOP by e-mail?
Yes! We would be happy to add you to our UCARline service. This provides job postings, research news, and other items, delivered as e-mail every Thursday except for holidays. To sign up, go to our This Week/UCARline subscription page and select the UCARline sections you wish to receive as separate messages. You can also use this page to obtain more information about our e-mail publication system.
The entire contents of our regular publications, Staff Notes Monthly (written primarily for UCAR/NCAR/UOP staff), and the UCAR Quarterly (written primarily for member universities of UCAR), can be accessed on the Web.
How can I visit NCAR's Mesa Laboratory?
Our renowned building, designed by I. M. Pei, is open to the public every day of the year, including holidays. The hours are 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. weekdays, 9:00 to 4:00 weekends and holidays. We have a variety of exhibits, including a miniature tornado, as well as the nation's first interpretive weather trail. To learn more, check our Web site for tours and visitors.
Of internal interest
What's the difference between This Week and Staff Notes Monthly?
Staff
Notes Monthly contains feature articles on NCAR/UOP science,
administrative developments, and the people of UCAR/NCAR/UOP. It
is distributed in print just after the first of each month to staff,
and on request to retirees and others outside the institution. For
details, contact Yvonne Mondragon.
This Week is the electronic-only news source that provides short-fuse communications aimed mainly at UCAR/NCAR/UOP staff. All sections of This Week are posted and archived on the Web:
Announcements are e-mailed as "TW Today" to all staff members every business day (unless there are no new announcements). Staff select which of the other four sections of This Week they wish to receive (via e-mail each Thursday) by filling out the subscription form.
How do I get something into the announcements section of This Week?
The on-line online announcements posting form allows you to submit announcements to TW Today via the Web. The guidelines page explains which items are appropriate for distribution through this feature of This Week.
How do I start or change my subscription to This Week?
Go to the TW subscription site to add or cancel e-mail subscriptions.
Can I offer something for sale in This Week?
TW announcements cannot promote commercial products, charities, or political causes, or offer personal items for sale. See UCAR Policy 4-1-7, Solicitation, Posting, and Distribution of Materials on UCAR-Operated Premises.
I've got a news tip that may be of interest to the entire staff. What should I do?
Please let us know! The UCAR Communications home
page includes a list of our staff and the beats
they cover. Getting
the Word Out, our guide to publicizing science, has other
helpful tips on the best ways to publicize your news.
How do you handle employee deaths or injuries in This Week?
Generally, injuries or hospitalizations to staff members or their families are not reported in This Week or Staff Notes Monthly. When a colleague has died, we encourage a staffer from that person's program or division to submit a notice to This Week's announcements section as soon as possible. This timely notice will allow friends and colleagues to attend memorial services and express condolences. Staff Notes Monthly also publishes obituaries of staff members, but these often appear too late to allow attendance at services.
Do you accept Delphi Questions for publication in Staff Notes Monthly?
The Delphi Service allows staff to ask questions of management in confidence. Questions and answers are published in SN Monthly when the questioner and the Delphi coordinator deem them to be of general interest to staff. Check the Delphi Service Web page for more details on the process and how you can submit a Delphi question.
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