Update references to old .org websites to github.io websites · Issue #628 · cf-convention/cf-convention.github.io An example is the first link on the following page: https://cf-convention.github.io/Data/cf-standard-names/current/build/cf-standard-name-table.html

github.com/cf-conventio...

Just four more days until in-person registration closes! Register today: sea.ucar.edu/iss/2026/

White House plan to break up iconic U.S. climate lab moves forward Bidders have lined up to take over pieces of the National Center for Atmospheric Research

My latest for @science.org on the fraught future of NCAR as NSF's deadline nears. It can still go so many ways.

Official map from NOAA depicting the relative rank of winter 2025-2026 temperatures at a county level across the contiguous U.S. Many counties in the western and central U.S. are depicted in dark red color, signifying record-warmest winter. All other counties in the west and central U.S. are depicted in dark orange colors, signifying a "near record warm" rank.

The official NOAA stats out this week confirm that winter 2025-26 was the warmest on record across a huge portion of the western and central U.S., which has contributed to extremely low mountain snowpack & worsened the CO River crisis. Meanwhile, record March heat is in forecast.

Registration is open for the 2026 Pythia Cook-off! Join us in-person at the NCAR Mesa Lab in Boulder, CO June 15-18, 2026.
projectpythia.org/pythia-cooko...

Trump's Climate Supercomputer Plans Threaten US Insurance Market: Actuaries A new letter from the American Academy of Actuaries draws a direct line between the planned dismantling of NCAR and higher homeowners insurance costs for US consumers.

The American Academy of Actuaries warns that dismantling NCAR would degrade the catastrophe models insurers depend on to price climate risk—driving up premiums and threatening coverage availability nationwide.
"Uncertainty carries a positive cost."
www.riskmarketnews.com/trumps-clima...

A line curve showing number of awards for fiscal year 2026 compared to fiscal years 2021-2025 across NSF. The fiscal year 2026 curve lies well below curves for other fiscal years.

NSF Update

Funding curve overall. A little bit of progress in the past week, but only a little bit.

Now by Directorate...

1/11

What the National Center for Atmospheric Research means to the atmospheric sciences Born out of a time of great need for the federal government, NCAR plays a role with few analogues.

Great piece out today in Physics Today on historical origins, contemporary relevance, & fundamental irreplaceability of the National Center for Atmospheric Research, which remains at imminent risk of dismantling for partisan political reasons.

Transitioning NCAR-Wyoming Supercomputing Center operations The U.S. National Science Foundation has informed the NSF National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) that management and operations of the NCAR-Wyoming Supercomputing Center are expected to…

...I just... www.nsf.gov/news/transit...

map of Colorado snowpack as a percent of the 1991-2020 median from the University of Arizona dataset. Statewide, it's 32.5% of median.

Time series of Colorado snow water equivalent for all years from 1982-2026. This year is the lowest in that timeframe, at 32% of the 1991-2020 median.

if the Colorado snowpack numbers from SNOTEL stations (52% of median) aren't low enough for you, they get even worse when looking at data across all elevations. Using the University of Arizona's SWE dataset, we're now below one-third of the usual snowpack (32.5%) as of February 9. #cowx

One more reminder about our open faculty position! We'll begin reviewing applications in a few weeks.

Share your comments on NCAR with NSF Tell NSF the future that you want for NCAR by 13 March

@agu.org has a tool to help you submit a comment to NSF on the importance of NCAR: agu.quorum.us/campaign/154...

#SaveNCAR

Stop by our @ncar-ucar.bsky.social town hall at 12:15 today. #AMS2026

Check out: NSF NCAR’s Advanced Computing, Data Services, and New AI Ecosystem Road Map for Earth System Science @ 106th AMS Annual Meeting ams.confex.com/ams/106ANNUA...

You might check out some of the resources from Scientific Python if you haven't already:
* learn.scientific-python.org/development/...
* lectures.scientific-python.org/advanced/int...

Climate Data Scientist | Climate Central Climate Central is seeking a highly-skilled Climate Data Scientist to join our team. Reporting to the Vice President for Science, the scientist will be part of a new initiative in climate services to ...

Very exciting to share that @climatecentral.org is hiring a Climate Data Scientist to join a new climate services effort focused on advancing predictions of risks and hazards on seasonal-to-decadal timescales. The application closes on February 9, 2026 at 5pm ET, & the description can be found here:

A time series of the January–February frequency (in days) of the AKR regime from 1979 to 2025 using ERA5 data, based on the year-round classification of Lee et al. 2023 (J. Climate) updated through 2025.

The extreme cold across eastern N America is due to the Alaskan Ridge regime, which on average brings the coldest winter weather to this region.

Is this happening more often?

No. During the modern warming era, there has been no observed trend in the occurrence of this regime at this time of year.

NSF Intent to Restructure Critical Weather Infrastructure

NSF just posted their Dear Colleague Letter regarding the restructuring of NCAR. www.nsf.gov/funding/info...

“In short, the atomic ensemble time scale at our Boulder campus has failed due to a prolonged utility power outage. One impact is that the Boulder Internet Time Services no longer have an accurate time reference.”

groups.google.com/a/list.nist....

😬

I think that was the power outage, but could be wrong.

14 two-year postdocs for academics of any nationality who cannot continue their research due to US politics. Do share if you know of such.

The Call for Proposals for #SciPy2026 is now live! pretalx.com/scipy-2026/cfp If you have questions about @scipyconf.bsky.social just ask and be on the lookout for proposal writing office hours!

Intent to restructure critical weather science infrastructure The U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) announced today that the agency is reviewing the structure of the research and observational capabilities operated by the NSF National Center for Atmospheric...

Uhhhh, yikes ☹️ www.nsf.gov/news/intent-...

NSF pares down grant-review process, reducing influence of outside scientists Memo cites overburdened staff, but some say move also aims to elevate White House priorities

“The changes permit as few as one outside review rather than the current minimum of three, end the routine use of expert panels to discuss those individual reviews, and give program managers greater authority to recommend which proposals should or should not be funded.”

In case you want to share with your networks, this is a good article by the NYT on the broad scope of work done by NCAR and some of the key discoveries (e.g., microbursts and aviation accidents).

Do you love to write code or teach others about data-centered Earth Systems Science? Interested in the interplay of science and data? The NSF Unidata Summer Internship program is looking for you! Apply by February 6, 2026 to work with us next summer: buff.ly/5nsLdRu

For sure.

And even for research, I think a lot of folks would prefer more stability / longer timeframes.

Very curious to hear what others have to say.

In my opinion, it really depends (e.g. on things like package maturity, expectations, where it fits in the software stack, who you’re asking 😆)

Wowza! The votes keep streaming in! Next #Headwaters match up for #CatchmentCup2025 is:

Nsimi vs Fudoji & Kiyu Experimental Watersheds!

Vote here: www.agu-h3s.org/rivercup
Check out facts below:

Let us know if you work at any sites or have visited we would love to see more photos!!!