Research
PSL analyzes and interprets physical processes that influence weather, water, and climate from hours to decades to provide scientific information supporting NOAA's mission. A major effort is to improve predictions from days to decades by identifying early warning indicators in atmosphere and ocean patterns that cause extreme events (such as floods, droughts, and heat waves). To do this we conduct research to improve observations, understanding, modeling and predictions of weather, water and climate variations and extremes, and their related impacts.
Physical Science Research Themes
Water Resource Management
The stress of too little and too much water can be destabilizing at local, regional and national scales. Accurate water monitoring and predictions are critical for a variety of societal needs including agriculture, water supply, energy, water security, and public safety.
Marine Resource Management
U.S. coastal regions, including territories in the Pacific and Caribbean, host a rich diversity of marine resources spanning the warm tropical waters to Arctic sea ice covered waters. Marine resources and ecosystems are critical to commerce, human health and coastal tourism. As pressures on marine resources continue to rise, there is a need for improved monitoring and prediction of weather, climate, and water conditions impacting the marine environment.
Predicting Extremes
Given the impacts of serious risk to health, economic development, and food security, improved prediction of subseasonal-to-seasonal (S2S) extreme weather and climate is a high priority to help NOAA meet mission responsibilities to provide early warning and informed preparedness.
Selected Topics
Information and resources about El Niño and La Niña, as well as some current PSL research topics.
An unprecedented field campaign in to study El Niño while the event was ongoing.
An experimental product to provide reliable and skillful probabilistic forecast guidance for extreme rainfall.
Field programs and scientific analysis to improve weather forecast models, for more efficient integration of alternative power sources.
Access information, images, analyses, forecasts, and projects related to atmospheric rivers .
Explaining evolving climate conditions and assessing their impacts, particularly at regional or local levels.
Understanding the mechanisms that control the changing Arctic climate through detailed observations.
PSL's Air-Sea flux system is deployed on a variety of research cruises to measure interactions between the ocean and atmosphere.
A global atmospheric dataset spanning 1836 to 2015 to place current atmospheric patterns into a historical perspective.
Observations, lab experiments, and computer modeling studies to improve measurements of air-sea processes under hurricane conditions.