The Air Resources Laboratory’s (ARL) mission is to improve the ability of the Nation to protect human, ecosystem and economic health through advanced atmospheric sciences and technologies. ARL’s research focus is on the Earth’s Boundary Layer, which stretches from a few feet below the soil up two or three miles into the air. This layer of the atmosphere has a direct impact on people’s health and safety, businesses, and the environment. ARL studies the Boundary Layer’s physical and chemical processes on time scales spanning a few hours to several years.
ARL studies the mixing, movement and transformation of energy, moisture, trace gases and particles to improve meteorological models and forecast operations. These operations are vital to weather, climate and air quality forecasts. Primary applications of ARL’s research includes emergency response, homeland security, air quality, weather forecasts, climate outlooks, commerce and transportation. ARL’s vision is to effectively protect people, the environment and commercial activities from atmospheric risks using the best available scientific understanding of Boundary Layer processes.
