NCAR: Helping the National Parks Weather Future Storms

America’s national parks protect irreplaceable landscapes, support gateway-community economies, and contain infrastructure that can be highly vulnerable to floods, landslides, destructive winds, heat, and winter hashtag#storms. Researchers at NSF NCAR - The National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) are using the Community Earth System Model to examine how events such as Glacier National Park’s devastating 2006 rain-on-snow flood could unfold under future weather conditions.

NCAR's experts provide actionable information that can help officials strengthen roads, bridges, trails, historic structures, and surrounding communities. The team is also beginning to apply this approach to Rocky Mountain National Park here in Colorado.

From their recent news release:

Since the creation of Yellowstone National Park in 1872, America’s national parks have become hugely popular destinations, revered for protecting iconic landscapes and historically significant sites. They’re also a potent economic engine, generating tens of billions of dollars in spending by visitors at gateway communities and supporting thousands of jobs.

But the parks are vulnerable to severe storms and other weather events that can produce flooding in steep terrain, wash away isolated roads, damage fragile historical structures, and cause other destruction. The damage can lead to long-term park closures, disappointing visitors and hurting local economies.

Now researchers at the U.S. National Science Foundation National Center for Atmospheric Research (NSF NCAR) are using global computer simulations of the Earth system to identify changes in future weather conditions that could affect the frequency and intensity of these disruptive storms.

Read more about their work at NCAR News>>>

This is precisely why sustained investment in NSF NCAR is crucial. Its specialized scientists, advanced modeling capabilities, computing infrastructure, and national research partnerships allow us to anticipate hazards before they become disasters—and to make smarter, more cost-effective decisions about public safety and infrastructure.

CO-LABS strongly supports continued investment in NCAR and the broader scientific research ecosystem that turns foundational atmospheric science into practical protection for people, public lands, businesses, and local economies.