Centers and Labs

The Barbados Atmospheric Chemistry Observatory (BACO) has been operated by UM since 1971 to document the long-range transport of African dust to the Caribbean and the Americas. The site is used to answer questions regarding how African dust impacts clouds, climate, storms, ecosystems, and human health and how, in turn, African climate impacts dust transport. The site was founded by Emeritus Prof. Joe Prospero and continues under the direction of Prof. Cassie Gaston.

Local Collaborations

Faculty and Students in ATM form part of the Center for Aerosol Science and Technology, led within the College of Engineering.

Local Collaborations

NOAA’s Hurricane Research Division & National Hurricane Center, Faculty and students in ATM work closely with scientists in NOAA's Hurricane Research Division (located across the causeway from the Rosenstiel School) and forecasters at the National Hurricane Center. NOAA scientists often serve as research collaborators, guest lecturers, mentors, and committee members for ATM students.

High Performance Computing at the University of Miami’s Center for Computational Science (CCS) is an essential part of research for the faculty, students, and scientists in ATM. The world-class supercomputers at CCS provide the infrastructure necessary to perform cutting-edge research in weather and climate processes and prediction.

Joint faculty appointments with the Frost Institute for Data Science and Computing (IDSC) encourage development of data-driven tools for applications withinatmospheric sciences.

The University of Miami’s Helicopter Observation Platform (HOP) is a one-of-a-kind resource that is ideal for atmospheric sampling and remote sensing observations. This flying scientific laboratory aids in the study of atmospheric aerosols, such as Saharan dust, as well as chemical, physical, and biological processes in the atmospheric boundary layer and in particular near the surface of the Earth.

The Climate Change, Variability and Prediction are a climate modeling research group at the University of Miami's Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric, and Earth Science. Our research aims to better understand various aspects of Earth's climate, from Saharan dust and clouds to Pacific climate variability.

Surge Structure Atmosphere Interaction (SUSTAIN) Facility has the capability to test three-dimensional coupled wind-waves and surge and their combined impacts on structures in conditions as extreme as a land-falling Category 5 hurricane. The laboratory exists as a unique resource for fundamental studies on air-sea interactions, wave dynamics, and boundary layer turbulence while providing an experimental test-bed for model development. 

The Weather Server
A powerful data server participates in live peer-to-peer sharing of current weather data streams from around the world. Weather.rsmas keeps a rolling archive of the most recent few weeks of global data, including forecasts and verifications along with satellite, radar, stations, balloons, and other observational data sources. This system allows researchers and weather watchers to collaborate worldwide, without having to be physically located together.