About GML - NOAA Global Monitoring Laboratory
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Global Monitoring Laboratory
About Global Monitoring Laboratory
The Global Monitoring Laboratory (GML) of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) conducts research that addresses three major challenges; greenhouse gas and carbon cycle feedbacks, changes in clouds, aerosols, and surface radiation, and recovery of stratospheric ozone.
Fact Sheet
Organization
Mission
To acquire, evaluate, and make available accurate,
long-term records of atmospheric gases, aerosol
particles, clouds, and surface radiation in a manner
that allows the causes and consequences of change
to be understood.
Vision
A Society using the best possible information to inform
decisions on climate change, weather variability, carbon
cycle feedbacks, and ozone depletion.
Research Goals
To operate reference observing systems of key atmospheric variables: long-lived greenhouse gases, water vapor, ozone, ozone depleting substances, aerosols, radiation and clouds.
To develop new observing, analytical and modeling capabilities for the atmosphere to enable a process understanding of past and future changes.
To maintain calibration systems and provide calibration services to the global atmosphere monitoring community.
Approach
GML performs reference measurements and research focused on the role of the atmosphere on global climate forcing, the ozone layer and background air quality. GML maintains calibration scales and provides calibration services to support the World Meteorological Organization Global Atmospheric Watch programs.
Collaborations
GML expertise and operations support research and innovation in different areas:
Atmospheric measurement development, calibration, and testing
Measurement intercomparison
Top-down emission quantification
Satellite and model data evaluation
Renewable (solar and wind) energy production forecasting
Origin and Core Values
Our laboratory was created in 1972 as part of the NOAA Environmental Research Laboratories. Our mission back then was the same as it is today: Geophysical Monitoring for Climatic Change, which was actually our first name.
Half a century later, our scientific mandate to monitor the pulse of the planet is still as relevant as ever. Our observing networks, measurements techniques and analytical tools have evolved to ensure that we produce the best possible information as efficiently and carefully as possible.
Over all these years, our core values for operations and research have been (and continue to be): quality, relevance, continuity, transparency and partnership.
Our long-term measurement records are an essential piece to understand how our Earth’s atmosphere and climate have changed in the past and may change in the future.