As debates over the future of federal climate research intensify, the National Center for Atmospheric Research has emerged as a focal point in conversations about the nation’s scientific priorities. For decades, the Boulder-based center has led major advances in atmospheric and climate science, shaping how researchers track storms, model climate change and study Earth’s complex environmental systems.
But today, NCAR’s future is uncertain. What started as a federally led research hub has become the center of a political and scientific flashpoint.
Founded in 1960 and headquartered in Boulder, Colorado, NCAR was created by the National Science Foundation with the explicit mission of providing scientists with the tools, data and collaborative environment needed to study the atmosphere and related Earth systems.
Today, it’s still designated as an NSF Federally Funded Research and Development Center and operates under the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research, a consortium of more than 120 universities and research institutions.
NCAR’s mission extends across disciplines in the name of scientific understanding. There, researchers explore climate dynamics, atmospheric chemistry, space weather and environmental impacts on human and natural systems. It’s a place where cutting-edge scientific questions — such as the behavior of wildfire smoke or the long-term projections of global climate trends — are studied with advanced tools and interdisciplinary collaboration.
The center is made up of a suite of facilities, instruments and research programs that together form a backbone of Earth science research.
NCAR’s vast capabilities include supercomputing and modeling, state-of-the-art observational tools and research aircraft, data and services that create a thorough infrastructure for scientists all over the world to use, and education and outreach through scientific training and public lectures.
As NCAR states on their website, “(NCAR provides) the university community with world-class facilities and services that are beyond the reach of any individual institution.”
In short, NCAR makes possible scientific research that no single university or lab could sustain on its own, and it shares that work widely.
The scientific impact of NCAR is wide-reaching. Weather forecast accuracy has improved dramatically over the past decades in part because of NCAR’s modeling tools. For instance, tropical cyclone tracking forecasts have seen error reductions attributable to advanced GPS instruments first developed at or with contributions from NCAR.
Climate science depends on long-term model projections and historical reconstructions that institutions like NCAR produce. These datasets provide policymakers, planners and researchers with a clearer picture of how temperatures, precipitation patterns and extreme weather might shift in coming decades.
In December 2025, White House Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought announced a plan to dismantle NCAR via a post on X.
“The National Science Foundation will be breaking up the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) in Boulder, Colorado,” Vought wrote in the post. “This facility is one of the largest sources of climate alarmism in the country. A comprehensive review is underway and any vital activities such as weather research will be moved to another entity or location.”
The NSF has confirmed it is reviewing NCAR’s structure and considering options such as relocating key assets like its supercomputer and research aircraft.
Colorado Senators Michael Bennett and John Hickenlooper released a joint statement Dec. 19, 2025, addressing the proposed cuts to NCAR.
“President Trump is attacking Colorado because we refuse to bend to his corrupt administration,” the joint statement reads. “His reckless decision to dismantle the National Center for Atmospheric Research will have lasting, devastating impacts across the country.”
The scientific community reacted to the news quickly, with many taking to social media to express their concern.
“Nearly everyone who researches climate and weather — not only in the U.S., but around the world — has passed through (NCAR’s) doors and benefited from its incredible resources,” said Katharine Hayhoe, a climate researcher and distinguished professor at Texas Tech University. “Dismantling NCAR is like taking a sledgehammer to the keystone holding up our scientific understanding of the planet.”
Other researchers have warned that breaking up or defunding NCAR could erode the continuity and cohesion essential for long-term climate and weather science. Models that rely on integrated data streams could be disrupted, collaborations that depend on shared infrastructure could falter, and the ability to forecast severe weather and prepare communities for climate-related hazards could be compromised if the institutional framework that supports those forecasts is weakened.
Following the announcement from Vought, Antonio Busalacchi, president of UCAR, released a statement regarding the issue. Busalacchi said the administration had not provided UCAR with any information outside of the online announcement.
“NSF NCAR’s research is crucial for building American prosperity by protecting lives and property, supporting the economy and strengthening national security,” Busalacchi’s statement reads. “Any plans to dismantle NSF NCAR would set back our nation’s ability to predict, prepare for, and respond to severe weather and other natural disasters.”
For a campus with strong atmospheric science programs, NCAR’s fate hits close to home. Many CSU researchers collaborate with NCAR scientists, use its models in classroom instruction and rely on its data for thesis work and field studies. The potential loss or diminishment of NCAR has tangible consequences for science education and research opportunities.
Reach Hannah Parcells at science@collegian.com or on social media @hannahparcellsmedia.