The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration awarded a grant for $5,948,043 to the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colo. to support their climate and global change research program. NOAA is an agency of the U.S. Department of Commerce.

The grant will finance research scientists engaged in climate model development and experimental climate prediction. In addition, the grant continues to fund the collection, management and dissemination of climate data, the planning for international climate change programs, and the participation in various scientific forums, outreach programs and research activities.

“Funding from this NOAA grant will help us narrow uncertainties in climate projections, which in part, will help support better decision-making,” said retired Navy Vice Adm. Conrad C. Lautenbacher, Ph.D., undersecretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere and NOAA administrator. “NOAA and the Bush Administration are working to improve the understanding of our environment and to strengthen initiatives like those with the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research.”

UCAR is part of a collaborative community dedicated to understanding the atmosphere and the interconnected processes that make up the Earth system, from the ocean floor to the Sun's core. The National Center for Atmospheric Research and the UCAR Office of Programs provide research, facilities and services for the atmospheric and Earth sciences community.

Each year, NOAA awards approximately $900 million in grants to members of the academic, scientific and business communities to assist the agency in fulfilling its mission to study the Earth’s natural systems in order to predict environmental change, manage ocean resources, protect life and property, and provide decision makers with reliable scientific information. NOAA’s goals and programs reflect a commitment to these basic responsibilities of science and service to the nation for the past 34 years.

NOAA is dedicated to enhancing economic security and national safety through the prediction and research of weather and climate-related events and providing environmental stewardship of our nation’s coastal and marine resources.

On the Web:

NOAA: http://www.noaa.gov