Research

Speaker: Britt Stephens

How do scientists in Colorado help solve the Earth’s mysteries? The NSF NCAR Research Aviation Facility supports two large research aircraft that deploy with teams of university researchers to study the Earth system all over the world. From the seed of a burning question about how the planet works and an idea for how aircraft measurements can help to answer it, a rigorous planning process kicks in that includes flight planning, diplomatic clearances, coordination with air traffic control, international shipping of complex equipment, and eventually the execution of the field campaign itself. But it does not end there. After a successful airborne field deployment, the science teams often still need several years to process the measurement data, distill key findings (frequently using supercomputer models), and publish the results in peer reviewed journals.