NCAR Hydrology Laboratory

General Services and Information

Because of the general recognition during this decade that various problems in the atmospheric- and surface-hydrologic sciences can be best addressed through an interdisciplinary, total-systems approach, and because of the recent emphasis on flood prediction by the U. S. Weather Research Program, scientists in the atmospheric and surface-hydrologic sciences have begun to develop stronger professional ties and engage in joint research projects. In an effort to further promote such interaction, the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) has invested in the development of the NCAR Hydrology Laboratory, and it is expected that it will serve as the focal point for joint research by atmospheric scientists and hydrologists.

A centerpiece of this laboratory is a software package that will make it more convenient for atmospheric and surface-hydrologic modelers to perform coupled-system simulations of the entire hydrologic cycle including atmospheric processes, biospheric processes, surface runoff, and stream flow. The software, which is modeling framework for multidisciplinary research and operational applications, is called the Modular Modeling System (MMS). Within this framework can be installed a variety of different user-conceived and -developed models and data bases for treating various aspects of the surface-hydrologic cycle. It has been developed by the United States Geological Survey (USGS), and is becoming a standard, especially within USGS.

NCAR employs a Ph.D.-level hydrologist who manages the laboratory, and serves as a liaison between the two communities relative to laboratory activities. It is appropriate that an inter-community liaison be located at NCAR, because NCAR is managed by the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR) which represents a consortium of 63 Member institutions in North America which grant Ph.D.s in the atmospheric sciences, and 19 Affiliate institutions with M.S. or B.S. programs in the atmospheric sciences. Thus, if a scientist in the surface-hydrologic sciences desires to develop collaboration with an atmospheric scientist working in a particular specialty area, NCAR/UCAR would be a logical organization to facilitate this, through offering the use of NCAR laboratory facilities and/or through simply establishing the communications with UCAR-community atmospheric scientists.

In summary, the NCAR Hydrology Laboratory serves the following purposes:

• Provides a surface-hydrologic-modeling system, and documentation on its use, to atmospheric and surface hydrologists.
• Offers a venue for atmospheric and surface hydrologists who would like to visit NCAR and use the laboratory as a focal point for collaboration with each other and with UCAR-University and NCAR atmospheric scientists.
• Provides atmospheric scientists and surface hydrologists with remote access to the MMS system, and its applications-software components, from their home institutions.
• Provides on-line documentation of MMS and of other surface-hydrologic-modeling software that has been added to MMS.
• Makes available limited work and office space to visiting hydrologists who would like to engage in collaborative projects with UCAR-University and NCAR atmospheric scientists.
• Supports a service on the World Wide Web that will provide monthly-updated information about interdisciplinary articles in both the surface-hydrologic and atmospheric professional journals, interdisciplinary meeting announcements, MMS-system online documentation, and a bulletin-board service.