The division is organized into seven science groups whose missions relate to their approach to their science (e.g., modeling versus analysis of observations), or to scales considered (e.g., mesoscale versus microscale). It consists of about 65 staff with 27 scientists, including 15 senior scientists. Colocated with the division is a group of three scientists from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) National Severe Storms Laboratory (NSSL) who specialize in airborne dual-Doppler observations of mesoscale systems. This group augments the MMM program in mesoscale observations.

Research within the division covers a wide range of topics related to mesoscale and microscale meteorology. Generally, we maintain a breadth of expertise so that many of the research areas currently identified (at the national and international levels) as priorities for the atmospheric and related sciences in mesoscale and microscale meteorology are represented within the division. This is, in part, to fulfill our role as a focal point for the weather research community, enabling visitors to come and interact with NCAR scientists and with each other, and enabling us to develop collaborative programs with scientists in many institutions in research areas facilitated by a coordinated approach. Also, by maintaining a broad program of research we are able to move quickly into new high priority initiatives as they are identified.

Our research can be grouped in a number of ways. Generally, there are two very broad emphases: (1) weather systems and forecasting, and (2) climate problems. While the fundamental research in MMM often relates to both, many of our programs are specific to one or the other.

On the weather side, our numerical weather prediction program centers around the NCAR/Pennsylvania State University Mesoscale Model (MM5). MMM, the National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP)/NOAA, and the Forecast Systems Laboratory (FSL)/NOAA are now developing an improved replacement for MM5. This replacement will be used both as NCEP's operational model, and as a community research model maintained by MMM. Also on the weather side, we are developing our data assimilation program to cross divisions within NCAR, and to contribute to coordinated national data assimilation efforts. Several years ago a large portion of MMM's National Science Foundation (NSF) core program funding was reclassified as part of the U.S. Weather Research Program (USWRP). An additional allotment of USWRP funds will support new weather research efforts within NCAR after an internal competition which will take place in early FY97. In addition, activities of the office of the USWRP Lead Scientist are located in MMM.

On the climate side, we have the established Clouds in Climate Program (CCP), where research is providing improved parameterization schemes for cloud processes in climate models. This program is using cloud resolving models and data from field campaigns to design and test new schemes based on the fundamental physics and dynamics of mesoscale cloud systems. Several research efforts study the interaction of radiation with cirrus clouds and the fluxes of heat momentum and moisture through the boundary layer. Our research into the Tropical Ocean and Global Atmosphere Program's Coupled Ocean-Atmosphere Response Experiment (TOGA COARE) data sets contributes both to the CCP and to the work on the tropical boundary layer. In addition to these physics efforts, we contribute to the Global Tropospheric Chemistry Program (GTCP) through efforts to model: (1) the chemical reactions, transport, and mixing of chemical species that occur within clouds; and (2) the exchange of various chemical species with the earth's surface.

Included in our support to the mesoscale and microscale research community are the maintenance of a suite of models that can be applied to a wide range of meso- and microscale problems, and the development of data analysis software for research that uses radar, surface networks, and aircraft data. We contribute to, and are leaders in, the planning and conducting of a variety of field programs in which university researchers also play a major role. We develop airborne instruments (balloon and aircraft) for measurements of microphysical properties of the atmosphere and make these instruments available to outside users. We provide a number of model workshops and tutorials to instruct new users on how to apply our models to their research needs, and to bring veteran users up-to-date on new features. Finally, we maintain a large and very popular visitor program, supporting many of our visitors with division funds.

Besides the NSF FY96 core funding, MMM received additional NSF funding for the Role of Clouds, Energy, and Water (ROCEW) program. About half of our ROCEW funding was allocated to the CCP, which is jointly overseen by MMM and NCAR's Climate and Global Dynamics (CGD) division. Additional NSF funding came via other collaborations with various NCAR divisions: GTCP, led by the Atmospheric Chemistry Division (ACD); TOGA, led by CGD; and the High-Performance Computing and Communications (HPCC) program, led by the Scientific Computing Division (SCD). Seven more projects were supported by NSF Special Funding: Taiwan Area Mesoscale Experiment (TAMEX), TOGA COARE/Fluxes, TOGA COARE/Clouds, TOGA COARE/Radiation, Global Positioning System Meteorological Satellite Program (GPS/MET), office of the USWRP Lead Scientist, and the Fuzhou International Workshop.

In addition to NSF, nine other federal agencies supported 23 MMM projects that contribute to MMM program goals agreed upon between NCAR and NSF. These agencies were: National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), Department of Energy (DOE), Department of Defense (DoD), Office of Naval Research (ONR), Federal Aviation Agency (FAA), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR), Air Force Phillips Laboratory (AFPL), and Argonne National Laboratory (ANL). NASA supported the FIRE/TOGA, ASHOE, PEMTropics, FIRE III, LASE, BOREAS, SUCCESS, and Convective Parameterization projects. DOE supported the Eulerian Differencing and ARM/IDASS projects. DoD supported the ARPA-NASA project. ONR supported the LES, Coastal Fog, and Numerical Studies projects. FAA supported the Data Assimilation, Modeling, GPS/MET, and Data Retrieval projects. NOAA supported the Forecasting and LES projects, as well as the office of the USWRP Lead Scientist. AFOSR supported the Data Assimilation, Contrails, and Variational Data projects. AFPL supported the Data Assimilation project. ANL supported the Test-Bed Prototype project.

Six more MMM projects received funding from seven educational/research institutions, as follows: University of Washington (Coastally-Trapped Phenomena project), University of Arizona (3D Simulation of Clouds project), University of California/Scripps Institute of Oceanography (Ice Cloud Research project), Hong Kong University Institute of Science and Technology, with Royal Observatory of Hong Kong (Terrain-Induced Turbulence project), Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (Modeling of Cloud Systems project), and Utah State Water Resources (3D Simulation of Clouds project).

Table of Contents FY 1996 Science Highlights Educational Activities

FY 1996 Publications Community Service Staff, Visitors and Collaborators

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