Registration is open for the 2026 Pythia Cook-off! Join us in-person at the NCAR Mesa Lab in Boulder, CO June 15-18, 2026.
projectpythia.org/pythia-cooko...
27.02.2026 04:14
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Registration is open for the 2026 Pythia Cook-off! Join us in-person at the NCAR Mesa Lab in Boulder, CO June 15-18, 2026.
projectpythia.org/pythia-cooko...
The American Academy of Actuaries warns that dismantling NCAR would degrade the catastrophe models insurers depend on to price climate risk—driving up premiums and threatening coverage availability nationwide.
"Uncertainty carries a positive cost."
www.riskmarketnews.com/trumps-clima...
A line curve showing number of awards for fiscal year 2026 compared to fiscal years 2021-2025 across NSF. The fiscal year 2026 curve lies well below curves for other fiscal years.
NSF Update
Funding curve overall. A little bit of progress in the past week, but only a little bit.
Now by Directorate...
1/11
Great piece out today in Physics Today on historical origins, contemporary relevance, & fundamental irreplaceability of the National Center for Atmospheric Research, which remains at imminent risk of dismantling for partisan political reasons.
map of Colorado snowpack as a percent of the 1991-2020 median from the University of Arizona dataset. Statewide, it's 32.5% of median.
Time series of Colorado snow water equivalent for all years from 1982-2026. This year is the lowest in that timeframe, at 32% of the 1991-2020 median.
if the Colorado snowpack numbers from SNOTEL stations (52% of median) aren't low enough for you, they get even worse when looking at data across all elevations. Using the University of Arizona's SWE dataset, we're now below one-third of the usual snowpack (32.5%) as of February 9. #cowx
One more reminder about our open faculty position! We'll begin reviewing applications in a few weeks.
@agu.org has a tool to help you submit a comment to NSF on the importance of NCAR: agu.quorum.us/campaign/154...
#SaveNCAR
Stop by our @ncar-ucar.bsky.social town hall at 12:15 today. #AMS2026
Check out: NSF NCAR’s Advanced Computing, Data Services, and New AI Ecosystem Road Map for Earth System Science @ 106th AMS Annual Meeting ams.confex.com/ams/106ANNUA...
You might check out some of the resources from Scientific Python if you haven't already:
* learn.scientific-python.org/development/...
* lectures.scientific-python.org/advanced/int...
Very exciting to share that @climatecentral.org is hiring a Climate Data Scientist to join a new climate services effort focused on advancing predictions of risks and hazards on seasonal-to-decadal timescales. The application closes on February 9, 2026 at 5pm ET, & the description can be found here:
A time series of the January–February frequency (in days) of the AKR regime from 1979 to 2025 using ERA5 data, based on the year-round classification of Lee et al. 2023 (J. Climate) updated through 2025.
The extreme cold across eastern N America is due to the Alaskan Ridge regime, which on average brings the coldest winter weather to this region.
Is this happening more often?
No. During the modern warming era, there has been no observed trend in the occurrence of this regime at this time of year.
NSF just posted their Dear Colleague Letter regarding the restructuring of NCAR. www.nsf.gov/funding/info...
“In short, the atomic ensemble time scale at our Boulder campus has failed due to a prolonged utility power outage. One impact is that the Boulder Internet Time Services no longer have an accurate time reference.”
groups.google.com/a/list.nist....
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I think that was the power outage, but could be wrong.
14 two-year postdocs for academics of any nationality who cannot continue their research due to US politics. Do share if you know of such.
The Call for Proposals for #SciPy2026 is now live! pretalx.com/scipy-2026/cfp If you have questions about @scipyconf.bsky.social just ask and be on the lookout for proposal writing office hours!
“The changes permit as few as one outside review rather than the current minimum of three, end the routine use of expert panels to discuss those individual reviews, and give program managers greater authority to recommend which proposals should or should not be funded.”
In case you want to share with your networks, this is a good article by the NYT on the broad scope of work done by NCAR and some of the key discoveries (e.g., microbursts and aviation accidents).
Do you love to write code or teach others about data-centered Earth Systems Science? Interested in the interplay of science and data? The NSF Unidata Summer Internship program is looking for you! Apply by February 6, 2026 to work with us next summer: buff.ly/5nsLdRu
For sure.
And even for research, I think a lot of folks would prefer more stability / longer timeframes.
Very curious to hear what others have to say.
In my opinion, it really depends (e.g. on things like package maturity, expectations, where it fits in the software stack, who you’re asking 😆)
Wowza! The votes keep streaming in! Next #Headwaters match up for #CatchmentCup2025 is:
Nsimi vs Fudoji & Kiyu Experimental Watersheds!
Vote here: www.agu-h3s.org/rivercup
Check out facts below:
Let us know if you work at any sites or have visited we would love to see more photos!!!
The Advanced Study Program’s Graduate Visitor Program Fellowship is accepting applications! This fellowship allows graduate students to work on their thesis, dissertation, or final project equivalent, with guidance from NSF NCAR scientists and engineers.
A group of students sit on a classroom floor facing the projector screen which displays a map of the United States and the faces of meteorologists virtually speaking about the presentation. The students hold their laptops and listen intently to the presentation. Text on the photo reads: Virtual School Talks
Attention Teachers and Educators!
Have the NWS visit your classroom virtually! Presentation topics include weather, climate, space weather, hydrology (rivers) & tsunamis, and are available in English and Spanish. weather.gov/education/sc... #BackToSchoolNOAA
🌍 The MMM lab at @ncar-ucar.bsky.social is running experimental realtime forecasts with a global 3.75-km MPAS model.
Goal: Highlight the power of global km-scale models for weather prediction from local to planetary scales, incl. tropical cyclones.
👉 project.mmm.ucar.edu/real-time-fo...
Diagram of the process for applying. Please see website for full details.
Applications are OPEN for the Faculty Innovator Program, supporting collaborative interdisciplinary projects pairing faculty with NSF NCAR researchers. Applicants will start with the Ideas Lab workshops to co-develop proposals. Due Sept. 15. https://edec.ucar.edu/university-partnerships/innovators
