The U.S. National Science Foundation National Center for Atmospheric Research (NSF NCAR) received a major grant from NOAA this month to improve projections of future climate.

The $1.45 million grant will enable NSF NCAR to run multiple computer model simulations, providing decision makers with information about key climate variables 20 years and beyond into the future. The goal is to substantially reduce uncertainty compared with current climate projections and, where this is not possible, at least identify the reasons for the largest uncertainties and how they relate to the future evolution of climate variability.

The grant is part of $15.3 million in funding that the U.S. Department of Commerce and NOAA are providing to research organizations to develop transparent climate projection products and equitable services for the public. This work will address increased demand by the public and private sectors for reliable, long-term extreme weather climate information, with a particular focus on supporting decisions around infrastructure development.

With this funding, made possible by the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act, NOAA will support multi-decadal climate projections, addressing a wide array of risks like heavy precipitation, temperature extremes, drought, and coastal flooding. This information will help users understand these risks and how they are expected to change in the future.

In addition to NOAA, the other research partners are the University of Miami, Colorado State University, and Florida International University. The American Society of Civil Engineers is a key initial partner in the co-development of this capability. 

For more, see the NOAA press release.

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