ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH LABORATORIES 



The mission of the Environmental Research Laboratories is to study the oceans, inland 

 waters, the lower and upper atmosphere, the space environment, and the earth, in search 

 of the understanding needed to provide more useful services in improving man's prospects 

 for survival as influenced by the physical environment. Laboratories contributing to these 

 studies are: 



Earth Sciences Laboratories (ESL): Geomagnetism, seismology, geodesy, and related 

 earth sciences; earthquake processes, internal structure and accurate figure of the Earth, 

 and distribution of the Earth's mass. 



Atlantic Oceanographic and MeteorologicEd Laboratories (AOML): Oceanography, with 

 emphasis on the geology and geophysics of ocean basins, oceanic processes, sea-cur inter- 

 actions, hurrican research, and weather modification (Miami, Florida). 



Pacific Oceanographic Laboratories (POL): Oceanography; geology and geophysics of 

 the Pacific Basin and margins; oceanic processes and dynamics; tsunami generation, propa- 

 gation, modification, detection, and monitoring (Seattle, Washington). 



Atmospheric Physics and Chemistry Laboratory (APCL): Cloud physics and precipita- 

 tion; chemical composition and nucleating substances in the lower atmosphere; and labora- 

 tory and field experiments toward developing feasible methods of weather modification. 



Air Resources Laboratories (ARL): Diffusion, transport, and dissipation of atmospheric 

 contaminants; development of methods for prediction and control of atmospheric pollution 

 (SUver Spring, Maryland). 



Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory (GFDL): Dynamics and physics of geophysical 

 fluid systems; development of a theoretical basis, through mathematical modeUng and com- 

 puter simulation, for the behavior and properties of the atmosphere and the oceans (Prince- 

 ton, New Jersey). 



Research Flight Facility (RFF): Outfits and operates aircraft speciadly instrumented for 

 research; and meets needs of NOAA and other groups for environmental measurements for 

 aircraft (Miami, Florida). 



National Severe Storms Laboratory (NSSL): Tornadoes, squall lines, thunderstorms, 

 and other severe local convective phenomena toward achieving improved methods of fore- 

 casting, detecting, and providing advance warnings (Norman, Oklahoma). 



Space Environment Laboratory (SEL): Conducts research in solar-terrestried physics, 

 provides services and technique development in areas of environmental monitoring, fore- 

 casting, and data archiving. 



Aeronomy Laboratory (AL): Theoretical, laboratory, rocket, and satellite studies of 

 the physical and chemical processes controlling the ionosphere and exosphere of the earth 

 and other planets. 



Wave Propagation Laboratory (WPL): Development of new methods for remote sensing 

 of the geophysical environment; special emphasis on propagation of sound waves, and elec- 

 tromagnetic waves at millimeter, infrared, and optical frequencies. 



Marine Minerals Technology Center (MMTC): Research into aspects of undersea mining 

 of hard minerals: development of tools and techniques to characterize and monitor the 

 marine mine environment; prediction of the possible effects of marine mining on the envi- 

 ronment; development of fundamental mining technology (Tiburon, California). 



NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION 



BOULDER, COLORADO 80302 



