NSF Lower Atmospheric Observing Facilities (LAOF) in support of science and education

Researchers, students and teachers who want to understand and describe the Earth System require high quality observations of the atmosphere, ocean, and biosphere. Making these observations requires state-of-the-art instruments and systems, often carried on highly capable research platforms. To support this need of the geosciences community, the National Science Foundation's (NSF) Division of Atmospheric and Geospace Sciences (AGS) provides multi-user national facilities through its Lower Atmospheric Observing Facilities (LAOF) Program at no cost to the investigator. These facilities, which include research aircraft, radars, lidars, and surface and sounding systems, receive NSF financial support and are eligible for deployment funding. The facilities are managed and operated by five LAOF partner organizations: the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR); Colorado State University (CSU); the University of Wyoming (UWY); the Center for Severe Weather Research (CSWR); and the Center for Interdisciplinary Remotely-Piloted Aircraft Studies (CIRPAS). These observational facilities are available on a competitive basis to all qualified researchers from US universities, requiring the platforms and associated services to carry out various research objectives. The deployment of all facilities is driven by scientific merit, capabilities of a specific facility to carry out the proposed observations, and scheduling for the requested time. The process for considering requests and setting priorities is determined on the basis of the complexity of a field campaign. The poster will describe available observing facilities and associated services, and explain the request process researchers have to follow to secure access to these platforms for scientific as well as educational deployments. NSF/NCAR GV Aircraft