Desert Research Institute and Division of Atmospheric Sciences Overview Dr. Darko Koracin Research Professor Division of Atmospheric Sciences Desert Research Institute, Nevada System of Higher Education, Reno, Nevada Darko.Koracin@dri.edu WIDA Conference 13-15 March 2012 Reno, Nevada

Over 50 years of Science, Engineering & Technology 1960: $2.5 Million in Research Funding 2010: ~$55 Million in Research Funding DRI – Science. Environment. Solutions. 9/17/2018

Nevada System of Higher Education (NSHE) Board of Regents Chancellor System Office Universities Community Colleges State College Research Institute UNLV UNR CSN GBC TMCC WNC Nevada State College DRI DRI – Science. Environment. Solutions. 9/17/2018

DRI at a Glance ~558 employees with ~140 research faculty Non-tenure / soft-money structure: Faculty are not tenured and generate own salaries (no state-funded positions) Faculty bring ~$40M into Nevada’s economy! Direct return on state-funded investment is $5-to-$1 At any given time, DRI conducts about 300 research projects worldwide Over 60 specialized labs & research facilities to improve people’s lives: Renewable Energy Center Ultra-Trace Chemistry Lab Environmental Analysis Facility Center for Advanced Computation/Visualization Ecologically Controlled Enclosed Lysimeter Labs Computing facility DRI – Science. Environment. Solutions. 9/17/2018

Campuses and Facilities Today, DRI has two primary campuses: Reno Las Vegas with research facilities in: Boulder City Steamboat Springs, CO Stead Northern Nevada Science Center - Reno Southern Nevada Science Center – Las Vegas Storm Peak Laboratory – Steamboat Springs Colorado DRI – Science. Environment. Solutions. 9/17/2018

Research Structure Air Land and Life Water DRI Divisions Hydrological Sciences Earth and Ecosystem Sciences Atmospheric Sciences Integrated Science Centers Clean Energy and Renewable Technology Center (CTREC) Center for Watershed Environmental Sustainability (CWES) Rogers Center for Environmental Remediation and Monitoring (CERM) Center for Advanced Visualization, Computation, and Modeling (CAVCaM) Air Land and Life Water DRI – Science. Environment. Solutions. 9/17/2018

Funding Major sponsors of grants and contracts include federal agencies (DoE, DoD, NSF, DoI, and EPA) DRI also has state, local, and private grants DRI – Science. Environment. Solutions. 9/17/2018

Division of Atmospheric Sciences (DAS) DRI – Science. Environment. Solutions. 9/17/2018

DAS Core Research Areas Air Quality Field Study Design/Coordination Develop study plans Manage field operations Data compilation Data quality control/quality assurance Equipment at Fresno Supersite

DAS Core Research Areas (cont.) Ambient Air Quality Monitoring & Assessment Sampling for criteria pollutant gases and aerosols Hazardous air pollutants (HAPs) Light absorption, scattering, and extinction Air quality modeling Personal exposure assessments State Implementation Plan (SIP) assistance Poor and Natural Visibility at the Grand Canyon

DAS Core Research Areas (cont.) Pollutant Emissions Characterization Real-time and remote measurement of vehicle emissions Dilution sampling of stationary source emissions Fugitive dust emissions Ultra-fine and nanoparticle emissions Development of emission factors and inventories Emissions measurement from in-use vehicle

DAS Core Research Areas (cont.) Meteorological Measurements and Modeling Continuous meteorological parameters (temp., pressure, RH, wind speed/direction) Atmospheric motions and thermodynamic parameters Radar and satellite assessments of cloud and precipitation fields Mesoscale dynamics and modeling Real time weather and air quality forecasting

DAS Core Research Areas (cont.) Aerosols, Clouds, and Precipitation Particle size distributions Cloud droplet formation and evolution Cloud physics/chemistry Cloud radiative properties Impact of aerosols on climate Probes mounted on NOAA P-3 aircraft

DAS Core Research Areas (cont.) Fire Science Monthly lightning strikes – July (data from 1985 - 1994 Relationships among climate, weather, fire, and natural resources Operational fire weather forecasting and smoke predictions Decision-support tools for fire applications Mass, composition, and effects of fire emissions

DAS Core Research Areas (cont.) Energy-Related Research Relationships between climate and energy Wind resource mapping Environmental impacts of energy productivity, distribution, and use. Forecasting near-term variations in wind and solar energy resources Biofuel production and impacts

Other DAS Capabilities and Interests Technology Development and Licensing Most DAS technologies involve meteorology: meteorological measurements emissions/air quality Modeling and forecasting Protection and licensing of intellectual property is handled by a joint Technology Transfer Office (TTO) between UNR and DRI For more information, see: www.tto.nevada.edu Hot Plate Precipitation Gauges

Other DAS Capabilities and Interests Two Major Analytical Laboratories Organic Analytical Lab (OAL) Environmental Analysis Facility (EAF) - Labs support internal research programs and provide service to outside sponsors - Provide chemical analysis of inorganic species, volatile and semi-volatile organic compounds, hazardous pollutants, etc.

Other DAS Capabilities and Interests Other Laboratories within DAS Aerosol laboratory Particulate Emissions Measurement Lab (PEML) Carter Family Optics and Acoustics Lab Ice Physics Lab Atmospheric Remote Sensing Lab Storm Peak Laboratory Mesoscale Dynamics and Modeling Lab Air Quality Modeling Lab Real-time forecasting Climate modeling Energy Laboratory

Other DAS Capabilities and Interests WRCC – (Western Regional Climate Center) WRCC service region One of six NOAA-funded regional climate centers Provides climate information services and conducts climate research Over 1 million web hits/month (see www.wrcc.dri.edu)

DRI projects supported by DOD Highlights