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Research - Incubator Projects
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The Incubator is a mechanism that gives an idea time to flourish with the use of various resources such as retreats, workshops, visiting scholars, international programs, strategic partnerships activities, reviews, proposals, and more. Incubation efforts may lead to the idea developing into a Strategic Initiative, Project, or Program. Facilitation takes the form of community workshops that are tasked to exchange and discuss recent findings; assess the state-of-the-science; and formulate new directions in the form of a white paper. The Institute may provide limited research co-sponsorship; host and support students, post doctoral appointees, Faculty Fellows and NCAR Affiliate Scientists for these efforts. Coordination of integrative research programs includes the conduct of projects through application of substantial resources together with an emphasis on external participation and external co-leadership. In some instances there will be a progression over time from Incubation to Facilitation and Program Coordination, as appropriate. |
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Current Incubator Items: |
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| Colorado Headwater & SWANS | Deep Convective Clouds & Chemistry | ||
| Convective Parameterization | Flying Leap for Nitrogen | ||
| Coral Reefs | Weather Climate Interface | ||
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Colorado Headwaters: Water Resources ComponentContact: Roy Rasmussen 303-497-8430 Also includes Societal, Water, the Atmosphere and Natural Systems (SWANS)
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Convective ParameterizationContacts: The Water System Program has conducted research related to the Regional and Global water cycle since 2001 with university collaboration. Using the diurnal cycle of precipitation as a focus, research has shown that current climate models do not accurately simulate the frequency, intensity, and timing of summer time convection over continental regions. Much of the reason for this error is in the poor simulation of propagating systems of convection in the lee of major mountain ranges by current convective parameterization schemes. This error is reflected in the high degree of uncertainty of current climate model runs in these regions. The goals of the Water System Convective Parameterization program are:
The latter goal aims at examining whether the often tight coupling between precipitation and soil moisture in climate models is realistic, and its role in modulating and initiating propagating convection. The Water System Program will continue to focus on improving convective parameterizations in climate models, including the testing of various candidate schemes (including the new Moncreiff and Liu scheme developed under Water System sponsorship) and continuation of the scientific interest group on convective parameterization. Additional Information about recent Convective Parameterization research done at NCAR |
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Coral ReefsContact: Joanie Kleypas 303-497-8111 
How are coral reefs and other marine ecosystems affected by changes in the Earth's atmosphere and climate, especially increasing levels of atmospheric CO2? Ocean Warming:Recent work has revealed that the vulnerability of reef ecosystems to coral bleaching events (the loss of symbiotic algae from coral tissues) varies regionally with differences in the exposure of reefs to increased temperature extremes, as well as with differences in coral sensitivity to those extremes. For example, while the Western Pacific Warm Pool (WPWP) has experienced relatively minor increases in temperature, WPWP coral bleaching events have been triggered by smaller temperature increases than in other regions. These findings are being used with Community Climate System Model (CCSM) temperature projections to predict the frequency of future bleaching events. Ocean Acidfication:Ocean acidification, the decrease in seawater pH as the oceans absorb increasing amounts of CO2 from the atmosphere, was only recently identified as having important ecological consequences for marine ecosystems. This is a problem of potential high risk to many marine ecosystems, but one which is poorly quantified due to the lack of field and laboratory measurements and experiments. A pilot study to test various methods for augmenting NOAA's Integrated Coral Observing Network (ICON) stations with autonomous seawater carbonate chemistry measurements was recently completed, the findings of which will help streamline future ocean acidification monitoring efforts on coral reefs. |
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The TIIMES Institute engages programs of research at three levels: Incubation, Facilitation and Coordination. 
TIIMES and ISSE will jointly conduct coordinated Water System research that will span predictions in the physical water cycle, water resources and societal impacts. An umbrella program, “Societal, Water, the Atmosphere and Natural Systems” (SWANS), is currently emerging. The first project, “Colorado Headwaters”, focuses on critical questions concerning the effect of climate change on snow processes in the western cordillera of North America. It employs both high resolution models and observations, and addresses the resulting implications for water management and policy. This five-year project is a major focus of the Water System program. More generally, studies of hydrological extremes are a shared priority for TIIMES-ISSE research, including the study of floods and droughts in future climate scenarios and the fate of aquifers under stress from climate change and human exploitation.