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The Earth System Research Laboratory (ESRL) is a laboratory in National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)/Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research (OAR).

ESRL combines six separate NOAA labs under one umbrella organization to provide a more effective and coordinated management structure into four Divisions - Global Monitoring, Physical Sciences, Chemical Sciences, and Global Systems. The former labs falling into ESRL are the Aeronomy Laboratory, the Climate Diagnostics Center, the Climate Monitoring and Diagnostics Laboratory, the Environmental Technology Laboratory, the Forecast Systems Laboratory, and the Surface Radiation Research Branch of the Air Resources Laboratory.^[1]

Mission

ESRL's mission is to observe and understand the Earth system and to develop products that will advance NOAA's environmental information and services on global-to-local scales. The lab will achieve this goal by understanding the roles of gases and particles in climate change, assisting water management decisions with climate information, improving weather prediction, studying recovery of the ozone layer, and developing air quality forecast models.^[2]

Global Monitoring Division (GMD)

The goal of the GMD is to conduct long-term continuous measurement of atmospheric gasses, particles and radiation on a global scale in order to understand climate forcing, ozone depletion and air quality. This information will be used to support global and regional decisions, climate projections and carbon management.^[3]

Physical Sciences Division (PSD)

The PSD conducts research to understand the physical environment: the atmosphere, ocean, cryosphere, and land in order to improve local to global weather and climate predictions.^[4]

Chemical Sciences Division (CSD)

The CSD studies chemical processes in the Earth's atmosphere that affect climate, air quality, and the ozone layer.^[5]

Global Systems Division (GSD)

The GSD conducts research and development to provide global environmental information and forecast products ranging from short-term weather predictions to longer-term climate forecasts.^[6]

Research partners

• Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (University of Colorado)
• Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere (Colorado State University)
• National Center for Atmospheric Research
• National Aeronautics and Space Administration
• United States Department of Energy

References

1. ^  "The NOAA Earth System Research Laboratory". Earth System Research Laboratory. http://www.esrl.noaa.gov/. Retrieved October 10, 2005.  
2. ^  "About the Earth System Research Laboratory". Earth System Research Laboratory. http://www.esrl.noaa.gov/about/. Retrieved October 10, 2005.  
3. ^  "Global Monitoring Division". Earth System Research Laboratory. http://www.esrl.noaa.gov/gmd/. Retrieved October 10, 2005.  
4. ^  "Physical Sciences Division". Earth System Research Laboratory. http://www.esrl.noaa.gov/psd/. Retrieved October 10, 2005.  
5. ^  "Chemical Sciences Division". Earth System Research Laboratory. http://www.esrl.noaa.gov/csd/. Retrieved October 10, 2005.  
6. ^  "Global Systems Division". Earth System Research Laboratory. http://www.esrl.noaa.gov/gsd/. Retrieved October 10, 2005.  

External links

• Earth System Research Laboratory - National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration