NSF NCAR studies the atmosphere, of course. But that's just the start.

Our unique value lies in our capacity to treat the Earth as a single, integrated system, where all the different components — atmosphere, oceans, land, ice, and Sun — are connected. The hundreds of scientists who work here are experts across a wide range of disciplines, including meteorologists, hydrologists, solar physicists, atmospheric chemists, machine learning scientists, oceanographers, cryospheric scientists, engineers, educators, and others.

These experts, working together within one institution, can mobilize and lead the research community to make progress on today’s most pressing scientific challenges. These challenges are inherently complex and require expansive knowledge and varied ways of approaching problems and developing solutions. 
At NSF NCAR, experts from different disciplines are able to communicate, collaborate, and make progress with fewer barriers.

NSF NCAR is focused on working with the research community to provide solutions to some of the most difficult environmental problems facing American communities today, from extending extreme weather forecasts so communities have more time to prepare and respond to more completely understanding the impacts of increasingly intense wildfires.