HOUGHTON – A proposal to break up the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) in Boulder, Colorado, could have significant impacts on everything from aviation to weather apps. And the decision could be felt locally.

On Dec. 16, White House Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought posted the announcement on X, saying:

“The National Science Foundation (NSF) will be breaking up the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) in Boulder, Colorado. This facility is one of the largest sources of climate alarmism in the country. A comprehensive review is underway & any vital activities such as weather research will be moved to another entity or location.”

According to NCAR its mission is to understand the behavior of the atmosphere and related Earth and geospace systems; to support, enhance, and extend the capabilities of the academic and broader scientific communities, nationally and internationally; and to foster the transfer of knowledge and technology for the betterment of life on Earth.

Headquartered in Boulder, NCAR, is operated by the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research, a group of more than 100 colleges and universities, says KCCI Des Moines, Iowa. Since 2019, Michigan Technological University has been one of those institutions.

Will Cantrell, professor of physics and associate provost and dean of the Graduate School at Michigan Tech, says NCAR serves as the hub or nexus of much of the atmospheric sciences research in the United States and the world.

“NCAR does the kind of work that makes our understanding of the atmosphere – in other words, the weather, and the climate – it makes it better,” Cantrell said. “Why is it that we can predict the weather the way we can today? A lot of that work came through NCAR.”

Cantrell said several Michigan Tech students have gone on to work at NCAR. “We have research projects that we’re collaborating with people at NCAR to understand things as basic as ‘why does it rain.'”

Cantrell mentioned weather apps in cell phones people rely on every day. NCAR is a primary developer and maintainer of the WRF model, an open-source, state-of-the-art numerical weather prediction system used by thousands of researchers and operational forecasters worldwide. This model provides the underlying data for many forecasts you see in apps.

A Dec. 16 statement from Antonio Busalacchi, president of UCAR, reads in part: “NSF NCAR’s research is crucial for building American prosperity by protecting lives and property, supporting the economy, and strengthening national security. Any plans to dismantle NSF NCAR would set back our nation’s ability to predict, prepare for, and respond to severe weather and other natural disasters.”