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| 22 Dec 2025 | |
| Press Releases and Statements |
WASHINGTON, D.C., December 22, 2025 – The National Science Foundation announced its intent to restructure the NSF National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) on December 17, 2025. Below is a statement from Ryan Alexander, Executive Director of the Data Foundation’s Climate Data Collaborative:
The Data Foundation urges any restructuring to preserve the data infrastructure, modeling capabilities, and research functions that Americans rely on daily and that enable evidence-informed decision-making across government, academia, and industry.
Established in 1960, NCAR is an NSF-sponsored Federally Funded Research and Development Center (FFRDC) managed by the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR), a nonprofit consortium of 131 North American colleges and universities. NCAR serves as a national resource for atmospheric science, providing research facilities, supercomputing capabilities, and foundational data infrastructure to the scientific community.
NCAR research has broad applications across public safety, the economy, and national security:
- Aviation safety: NCAR's discovery of microbursts—powerful downdrafts that can force aircraft toward the ground during takeoff and landing—led to wind shear warning systems now deployed at over 100 U.S. airports and adopted worldwide.
- Weather forecasting: The Weather Research and Forecasting Model, developed with NOAA, the Air Force, Navy, and FAA, is now used by the National Weather Service and forecasters in over 150 countries.
- Wildfire response: NCAR's coupled weather-fire modeling helps emergency responders and communities predict and prepare for wildfire spread.
- National defense: NCAR provides meteorological support for U.S. Army test ranges and helps military planners assess weather and climate conditions worldwide.
- Industry and academic partnerships: NCAR collaborates with the private sector on cutting-edge applications, from helping farmers, truckers, and airlines anticipate severe weather disruptions to understanding the impact of weather conditions on autonomous vehicles. They also build workforce through UCAR and other academic partnerships.
NCAR is a global leader—when other nations adopt NCAR-developed tools, American expertise sets the standard.
The Data Foundation champions the use of data and evidence to inform public policy. NCAR exemplifies this mission: its research has produced the data infrastructure and predictive models that enable evidence-based decision-making across government, academia, and the private sector.
About the Data Foundation
The Data Foundation is a Washington, DC-based, non-profit, non-partisan organization. It is a trusted authority on the use of open, accessible data to fuel a more efficient, effective, and accountable government; spark innovation; and provide insights to the country's most pressing challenges. It conducts research, facilitates collaborative thought leadership, and promotes advocacy programs that advance practical policies for the creation and use of accessible, trustworthy data and evidence. The Data Foundation is recognized by Candid Guidestar with the Platinum Seal of Transparency and by Charity Navigator as a 4-Star non-profit. To learn more, visit www.datafoundation.org. (LEI: 254900I43CTC59RFW495)
Media Contact:
J.B. Wogan, Director of Communications
Phone: (202) 964-1130
Email: media@datafoundation.org
