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Capturing heat islands in climate models
A team of scientists led by NCAR’s Keith Oleson has incorporated urban areas into a global climate model. The development is important because most models used for predicting future climate change do not account for the urban “heat island” effect.
- Climate
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A close-to-home wildfire
NCAR's Peggy LeMone reflects on the power of fire in the Rocky Mountain West and on her own encounter with a destructive wildfire that torched more than 100 homes in September 2010.
- Education + Outreach
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Mountain waves and aviation safety
On December 20, 2008, a Boeing 737 with Continental Airlines encountered a crosswind gust during takeoff at Denver International Airport, causing it to veer off the runway. Simulations done at NCAR indicate that a mountain lee wave amplified over DIA within minutes of the accident.
- Weather
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Fourmile Fire: A trail of smoke over NCAR
The wildfire that erupted in the foothills west of Boulder in September 2010 sent a thick plume of smoke right over NCAR’s chemistry labs. Even as their offices smelled of smoke, scientists took measurements from the roof.
- Air Quality
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Distant star’s sound waves reveal cycle similar to the Sun’s
Scientists have detected "starspots," on the surface of a star using stellar seismology. The technique offers the potential to examine hundreds of stars.
- Sun + Space Weather