iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

NSF NCAR & UCAR @ncar-ucar.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

In the next Explorer Series event, solar scientist Sarah Gibson will share observations and experiences from the PUNCH mission. PUNCH is a set of 4 satellites that helps NSF NCAR researchers and colleagues around the world to obtain global, three-dimensional views of the dynamic solar structure. 🧵

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NSF NCAR & UCAR @ncar-ucar.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

Congratulations to NSF NCAR scientist Marika Holland for becoming a 2026 MacArthur Fellow, an award commonly known as the “genius grant.” Marika uses Earth system models to study polar regions, improving our understanding of sea ice predictability & polar climate variability. bit.ly/4xWSau7

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NSF NCAR & UCAR @ncar-ucar.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

Since dryness is a critical driver of wildfires, a team of NSF NCAR scientists created a wildfire risk map, updated in real time & open source, to show a detailed view of the moisture content of different types of vegetation across the US & adjacent areas. bit.ly/4hAfW8Z

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NSF NCAR & UCAR @ncar-ucar.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

This October, we’re falling into an exciting lineup of Explorer Series events! 🍂 From digging into microbursts to chasing eclipses, each event explores an exciting facet of what we do at NSF NCAR! Check out the events listed below and learn more here: bit.ly/4yX6bZJ

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NSF NCAR & UCAR @ncar-ucar.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

Congratulations to @ucarscied.bsky.social & SciEd Dir. Becca Hatheway for receiving the 2026 Advancing Environmental Literacy Award from the Colorado Alliance for Environmental Education. UCAR SciEd provides education & experiences that complement NSF NCAR’s research and work. bit.ly/4dtzkmQ

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NSF NCAR & UCAR @ncar-ucar.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

The Mesa Lab looks good from every angle, rain AND shine! 🤩⛈️🌈🌻 #MesaLabMonday 📸: Reva Golden

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NSF NCAR & UCAR @ncar-ucar.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

🧑🏻‍🎓Open for apps! The ASP postdoc allows students to conduct independent research under the mentorship of scientists & engineers at NSF NCAR. This year, we are requesting apps that fit the theme of “Building National Resilience." Apps due October 25. bit.ly/3SSn9ZT

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NSF NCAR & UCAR @ncar-ucar.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

Since extreme heat can seriously impact human health, NSF NCAR researchers have created a new, publicly available dataset to provide potentially life-saving information for researchers, city managers and health officials to understand heat stress in urban environments.

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NSF NCAR & UCAR @ncar-ucar.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

✈️ With NSF NCAR's new Graphical Turbulence Guidance Nowcast (GTGN), pilots can avoid turbulence using short-term forecast data in 15 minute increments (nowcasts) to inform inflight decision-making. Now fully operational, GTGN will help to make flights more comfortable+safer! bit.ly/4yqo7vf

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NSF NCAR & UCAR @ncar-ucar.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

Looking for a residency opportunity? The NSF NCAR EdEC Faculty Fellowship Program allows fellows to develop research collaborations, joint research proposals, enhanced classroom content & more in Boulder, CO. Apps due October 8. bit.ly/4gRSrI8

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NSF NCAR & UCAR @ncar-ucar.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

📢 Our ASP Graduate Visitor Program Fellowship is accepting applications for the 2027 cohort of fellows. This program is intended for graduate students to work on their thesis, dissertation, or final project w/ guidance from NSF NCAR scientists and engineers in Boulder. bit.ly/4nBRgOG

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NSF NCAR & UCAR @ncar-ucar.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

Don't forget! Tomorrow, our next Explorer Series lecture covers the results from a multi-year expedition in Alaska collecting ocean & air samples to study the drivers of weather. 📅: Wed., Sept. 2, 7-8:30 P.M. MDT 📍: Mesa Lab & online Register: edec.ucar.edu/events/alaska-hx

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NSF NCAR & UCAR @ncar-ucar.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

NSF NCAR’s Data Assimilation Research Testbed (DART) has spent nearly 25 years making data assimilation easier for better predictions. Now, it supports more than 50 models & over its lifetime, it's: 🎯 Sent more than 100 code releases 🎯 Been cited ~500 pubs & ~50 dissertations bit.ly/4x3Csga

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NSF NCAR & UCAR @ncar-ucar.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

Summer is winding down, but summer internship season is 1 of our fav times of year! Our 2026 cohort spent the summer working on their research projects, learning from mentors & attending professional development seminars & a poster session. Congrats on wonderful work, interns!

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NSF NCAR & UCAR @ncar-ucar.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

For the next Explorer Series lecture, NSF NCAR’s Yingxiao Zhang and Kristina Black & UCAR COMET's Wendy Gram will share results from a multi-year expedition in Alaska collecting ocean & air samples to study the drivers of weather. 📅: Wed., Sept. 2, 7-8:30 P.M. edec.ucar.edu/events/alask...

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NSF NCAR & UCAR @ncar-ucar.bsky.social · 24/08/2026

✨kinda chic to be a Boulder icon designed by I.M. Pei (and go really overboard on this trend 🤭)

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NSF NCAR & UCAR @ncar-ucar.bsky.social · 21/08/2026

Boulder-area friends: On Monday (8/24) & Tuesday (8/25), the Mesa Lab road will be reduced to one lane for vehicles & will be closed to pedestrians & bicycles due to construction. Expect 5-10 minute delays as flaggers manage traffic. Normal operations resume on Wednesday (8/26).

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NSF NCAR & UCAR @ncar-ucar.bsky.social · 19/08/2026

Spotlighting wildfire behavior in our next Explorer Series event next week.🧑‍🚒 Jason Knievel will discuss predicting & modeling wildfire behavior & how research supports emergency responders. 📅: 8/25 at 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. MDT edec.ucar.edu/events/wildfire-forecasting

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NSF NCAR & UCAR @ncar-ucar.bsky.social · 18/08/2026

Building an AI model just got easier thanks to our open source tool CREDIT! NSF NCAR’s next-gen Community Research Earth Digital Intelligence Twin (CREDIT) got a fantastic upgrade, now with a building-blocks approach, reduced run time & more physics to keep the AI outputs as realistic as possible.

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NSF NCAR & UCAR @ncar-ucar.bsky.social · 17/08/2026

At the end of the rainbow, sometimes the pot of gold is actually an architectural & scientific treasure– the Mesa Lab! 🌈 For us, advancing Earth system science & making strides in research that benefit society is the ultimate reward. 📸: Bradley Allf ncar.ucar.edu

A closeup of the Mesa Lab from the NCAR Trail shows a rainbow above it.

A rainbow arcs over the Mesa Lab as viewed from the NCAR Trail.

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NSF NCAR & UCAR @ncar-ucar.bsky.social · 11/08/2026

Last week, a team of scientists (including NSF NCAR, the National Solar Observatory & Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research) discovered Kelvin-Helmholtz instability, which might be a key reason magnetic energy builds up on the Sun, fueling solar flares and eruptions that can affect Earth.

news.ucar.edu

Scientists announce discovery of a hidden solar process | NCAR & UCAR News

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NSF NCAR & UCAR @ncar-ucar.bsky.social · 06/08/2026

Curious about air quality during wildfire season and how it can impact our health? NSF NCAR scientist Forrest Lacey shares insights in our next Science in the Spotlight webinar. 📅Thursday, Aug. 13 from 3-4 p.m. MT 🌐 Virtual webinar More details: edec.ucar.edu/events/wildfires-AQ

Virtual graphic with text:
Science in the Spotlight: Air quality, smoke, and the health impacts of wildfire

Forrest Lacey

Thursday, Aug. 13 from 3-4 p.m. MT
Virtual attendance only

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NSF NCAR & UCAR @ncar-ucar.bsky.social · 04/08/2026

We have an exciting lineup of Explorer Series events this August, including a suite of webinars as well as local events in Colorado! Mark your calendar! edec.ucar.edu/public/ncar-...

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NSF NCAR & UCAR @ncar-ucar.bsky.social · 03/08/2026

The NSF NCAR Gulfstream V (GV) is about to embark on an INSPYRE-ing research mission!🛩️ In collaboration with NASA and the @usnrl.bsky.social, a research team including NSF NCAR scientists will take to the skies in the GV to study and sample pyrocumulonimbus (pyroCb) clouds.

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NSF NCAR & UCAR @ncar-ucar.bsky.social · 30/07/2026

Hurricanes that suddenly intensify are especially dangerous since rapid intensification is notoriously hard to forecast and leaves little time to prepare. But now, NSF NCAR researchers have developed a technique to predict sudden intensification in hurricanes as far as 5 days out.

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NSF NCAR & UCAR @ncar-ucar.bsky.social · 27/07/2026

Get behind the desk of a solar scientist at our NSF NCAR Mauna Loa Solar Observatory… right from the comfort of the Mesa Lab in Boulder! 😎 Our latest exhibit, Sun-Earth Connections, gives you a hands-on look at a workstation in the observatory! Take a tour w/ @ucarscied.bsky.social: bit.ly/45uNyPO

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NSF NCAR & UCAR @ncar-ucar.bsky.social · 24/07/2026

Sixty years ago this summer, we tested the dropsonde for the first time! We’ve made massive improvements over the years to enhance dropsonde tech, which helps protect communities and further improve hurricane forecasting.

Scientist assembling early model of a dropsonde.

Black and white photo of a plane dropping a dropsonde.

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Reposted by NSF NCAR & UCAR

UCAR Center for Science Education @ucarscied.bsky.social · 21/07/2026

Last month, thirteen educators from rural Colorado districts came together at the @ncar-ucar.bsky.social Mesa Lab for the STEM Career Connections (STEMCC) Summer Institute! 🎉

Seven educators walking around in grass behind the Mesa Lab during an activity

Three circuit boards connected to a sensor sitting on the dry pine needle covered ground

Five educators discussing in a group while one records answers on a piece of white poster paper stuck on the wall

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NSF NCAR & UCAR @ncar-ucar.bsky.social · 23/07/2026

Can AI help to fill gaps in long-term weather forecasting? 💭 Using machine learning to recreate our Community Atmosphere Model (CAM), our first emulator called CAMulator offers the potential to accelerate predicting if the next month is likely to be hotter, colder, wetter, or drier than normal.

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NSF NCAR & UCAR @ncar-ucar.bsky.social · 22/07/2026

Stay cool this summer at the NSF NCAR Mesa Lab! 🧊 We've got cool views of the Flatirons and even cooler interactive exhibits for all ages, about clouds, the Sun, our history, and everything in between! If you're in Boulder, stop by to visit or take a tour with @ucarscied.bsky.social!

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NSF NCAR & UCAR @ncar-ucar.bsky.social · 16/07/2026

🏞️ Weather extremes can damage our national parks, causing long-term closures, disappointing summer visitors, and damaging the local economy. Our scientists are studying how devastating rain-on-snow flooding events might impact Glacier NP in the future to help them prepare. bit.ly/4aYriRM

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NSF NCAR & UCAR @ncar-ucar.bsky.social · 14/07/2026

Actionable science at work ⚜️ Our LAUNCH project w/ @lsu.bsky.social fostered collaboration w/ local communities to better prep the Gulf Coast for natural disasters. We shared tools like hazard mapping platforms & made vital connections for future projects & research collabs! bit.ly/4aQgJ3a

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NSF NCAR & UCAR @ncar-ucar.bsky.social · 13/07/2026

Join us the day after tomorrow (see what we did there?😉) to discuss ocean circulation systems using disaster blockbusters as a springboard for conversation in the next Explorer Series event. 🗓️: Wed, July 15, 7-8:30 PM MT 📍: NSF NCAR Mesa Lab & online bit.ly/4wAGjBD

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NSF NCAR & UCAR @ncar-ucar.bsky.social · 09/07/2026

👋 Hey, journalists & #SciComm friends: need an expert to weigh in about El Niño? Our researchers & scientists are available to answer questions on: 🌎 Potential influence of El Niño on precipitation & storm systems around the globe 🌀 Implications for hurricane activity ➕ More! bit.ly/4pcxL17

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NSF NCAR & UCAR @ncar-ucar.bsky.social · 08/07/2026

Fact or fiction? Using disaster movies as a springboard, the next Explorer Series lecture with NSF NCAR’s Gokhan Danabasoglu and Aixue Hu will discuss the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation’s past, present & potential future behavior. 🗓️: Wed, July 15, 7-8:30 PM MT edec.ucar.edu/events/AMOC

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NSF NCAR & UCAR @ncar-ucar.bsky.social · 07/07/2026

Pardon our dust 🚧 Expect roadwork & construction on the Mesa Lab road & parking lot this month. To maintain access to the building & trails, there will be temporary closures of parking lot sections & one-way traffic access managed by flaggers. Thanks for understanding!

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NSF NCAR & UCAR @ncar-ucar.bsky.social · 06/07/2026

Nestled next to the Mesa Lab entrance, our Ozone Garden’s common milkweed and coneflowers aren’t just attractive to pollinators and insects– they give scientists clues about the air quality and presence of ozone.

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NSF NCAR & UCAR @ncar-ucar.bsky.social · 03/07/2026

REMINDER: Today and tomorrow, NSF NCAR Mesa Lab road and parking lot, as well as nearby Boulder Open Space trails, will be closed to the public starting at 4 p.m. MDT. The road will reopen for normal use on Sunday. Happy July 4th!

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NSF NCAR & UCAR @ncar-ucar.bsky.social · 01/07/2026

We’re excited to announce the release of JEDI 2026.1 from @jcsda.bsky.social , featuring a new ionospheric DA application extending its reach into space weather for the first time! It also covers a comprehensive suite of observing instruments, contributed by partners. www.jcsda.org/jedi-2026-1

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NSF NCAR & UCAR @ncar-ucar.bsky.social · 29/06/2026

💾 Secure your scientific data in our certified repository, GDEX! By depositing your datasets into our Geoscience Data Exchange (GDEX), they are AI-ready and protected for future generations. From @ncar-cisl.bsky.social, Monica Ainhorn Morrison explains AI-reliable data. bit.ly/3QQmvLk

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NSF NCAR & UCAR @ncar-ucar.bsky.social · 26/06/2026

🎆 Boulder-area friends: The NSF NCAR Mesa Lab road, parking lot, and hiking access will be closed for the holiday starting at 4 p.m. on both July 3 and July 4. The road will reopen for normal use on July 5. Thank you!

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NSF NCAR & UCAR @ncar-ucar.bsky.social · 25/06/2026

#ICYMI WindCube is on track for a potential launch this winter after undergoing its final testing and integration in Denmark! 🛰️WindCube is one of several space-based observational platforms being designed and developed by NSF NCAR’s High Altitude Observatory to measure thermospheric winds.

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NSF NCAR & UCAR @ncar-ucar.bsky.social · 23/06/2026

In a new study, measurements taken by research aircraft helped NSF NCAR scientists get a better view of how much carbon is taken up (or released) in various parts of the world. Notably, they found that forests in the tropics take up less carbon than Earth system models typically predict.

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NSF NCAR & UCAR @ncar-ucar.bsky.social · 16/06/2026

When we think of how extreme wildfires start, we may imagine hot and dry conditions, but new research challenges this assumption. A new study from NSF NCAR notes that most warm years don’t produce large wildfires.

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NSF NCAR & UCAR @ncar-ucar.bsky.social · 15/06/2026

It’s a bird. It’s a plane. It’s a laboratory ON a plane!✈️ 🐦‍⬛ Join us at the upcoming Explorer Series lecture to hear about recent discoveries from field projects using "labs in the sky." 🗓️: Wed., June 17 from 7-8:30 P.M. MDT 📍: NSF NCAR Mesa Lab & online Register: bit.ly/4vQ2inI

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NSF NCAR & UCAR @ncar-ucar.bsky.social · 11/06/2026

At the upcoming CEDAR Workshop, NCAR NCAR is excited to be part of the ESPAT/CEDAR Grand Challenge session “Cross-Scale Coupling and Variability in the Upper Atmosphere and Ionosphere: Pathways to Improved Space Weather Predictability” with break-out sessions.

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NSF NCAR & UCAR @ncar-ucar.bsky.social · 10/06/2026

FastEddy + drone observations = neighborhood-level wind predictions! A collaboration between NSF NCAR & @universityofky.bsky.social aims to improve low-altitude wind predictions (notoriously difficult to model) by combining weather observations from uncrewed aircraft systems with FastEddy.

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NSF NCAR & UCAR @ncar-ucar.bsky.social · 09/06/2026

Summer internship season is well underway for the 2026 intern cohort! ☀️ In late May, students from across the country arrived in Boulder to begin their summer research experiences. Throughout orientation week, students participated in training workshops and community-building activities.

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NSF NCAR & UCAR @ncar-ucar.bsky.social · 08/06/2026

Explorer our airborne sky labs and how our scientists puzzle out air chemistry mysteries in the next Explorer Series lecture! 🗓️: Wednesday, June 17 from 7-8:30 P.M. MDT 📍: NSF NCAR Mesa Lab and online Register: edec.ucar.edu/events/air-c...

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Reposted by NSF NCAR & UCAR

NSF NCAR Research Applications Laboratory @ncar-ral.bsky.social · 08/06/2026

How does air pollution impact kidney health? New research using NSF NCAR air quality data found that exposure to several air pollutants is associated with faster progression of serious kidney diseases.❤️‍🩹Atmospheric science helping advance human health. Read more! lnkd.in/gBKajnAk

Troost, J.P., Kshirsagar, A.V., Smoyer, W.E. et al. Air pollution and disease progression among patients with primary glomerular disease: an expanded study with extended follow-up. Environ Health (2026). https://lnkd.in/gBKajnAk

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