Air Resources Laboratory

Atmospheric Dispersion link - factory smoke, photo courtesy of U.S.EPA

Volcanic Ash Modeling link - photo of Mt. Augustine volcano eruption

Wildfire Smoke Forecasting link - photo of forest fire and smoke

HYSPLIT model link - image of HYSPLIT plume above Baltimore, MD

The Air Resources Laboratory (ARL) conducts research and development in the fields of air quality, atmospheric dispersion, climate, and boundary layer science. Key activities include the development, evaluation, and application of air quality models; improvement of approaches for predicting atmospheric dispersion of hazardous materials; and the generation of new insights into air-surface exchange and climate variability and trends.

Our Mission is to improve the ability of the Nation to protect human and ecosystem health and to support a vibrant economy through advanced atmospheric sciences and technologies.

ARL is headquartered in College Park, Maryland with divisions in Oak Ridge,Tennessee (ATDD), Idaho Falls, Idaho (FRD), and Las Vegas, Nevada (SORD).

Laboratory Highlight

NOAA's Best Aircraft Turbulence Probe is Prepared to Measure Greenhouse Gases in Alaska

Scientists from ARL's Atmospheric Turbulence and Diffusion Division (ATDD) participated in the first successful test flight of the Fluxes of Carbon from an Airborne Laboratory (FOCAL) system on board the Centaur aircraft.