Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences


Steam fog over Madison River, Yellowstone National Park
Sunset and clouds, Hyalite Canyon, Montana
Waves at Playa Tamarindo, Guanacaste, Costa Rica. Photo by Derek Brown.
Thunderstorm over the high plains near Albin, Wyoming

Steam fog over Madison River, Yellowstone National Park. Sunset and clouds, Hyalite Canyon, Montana. Waves at Playa Tamarindo, Guanacaste, Costa Rica. Thunderstorm over the high plains near Albin, Wyoming. Photos by John Cassano and Derek Brown, ATOC.

CIRES and the Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences

The Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences (ATOC, http://atoc.colorado.edu/) at the University of Colorado at Boulder is an interdisciplinary department that provides an educational and research environment to examine the dynamical, physical, and chemical processes that occur in the atmosphere and the ocean. A major theme is the establishment of a physical basis for understanding, observing, and modeling climate and global change.

Graduate students, research staff, and faculty work together on a wide range of research topics that include: large-scale dynamics of the ocean and the atmosphere; air-sea interactions; radiative transfer and remote sensing of the ocean and the atmosphere; sea ice and its role in climate; cloud-climate interactions; atmospheric chemistry and aerosols; atmospheric technology; extended weather and climate prediction; hydrological processes; and boundary layer measurement and modeling.

ATOC has extensive computer facilities and laboratories in remote sensing, chemistry, and hydrodynamics. The presence the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) and the Boulder NOAA laboratories provides additional opportunities for a rich educational experience. Opportunities also exist for involvement in field programs.

ATOC is coordinated with CU's Environmental Program. Interdisciplinary research opportunities exist within CIRES, the Institute for Arctic and Alpine Research (INSTAAR), and the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics (LASP). This program further complements research by the CIRES' National Snow and Ice Data Center [ About NSIDC ] . It also contributes to CIRES' Climate Systems Variability and Regional Processes scientific research themes.