Earth System Research Laboratories

Organized under NOAA's Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research, ESRL's main goal is to advance the scientific understanding of weather, climate, air quality, water resources, and other Earth system components.Backed by scientists from cooperative research institutes at the University of Colorado and Colorado State University, ESRL has been an engine of scientific discovery, producing environmental models and products, along with forecasting and decision-support tools to protect life and safety, and support commerce at local to global scales.The Global Monitoring Laboratory (GML) researches greenhouse gas and carbon cycle feedbacks, changes in clouds, aerosols, and surface radiation, and the recovery of stratospheric ozone.The Global Systems Laboratory (GSL) develops next-generation weather forecast models, decision support tools, visualization systems, and uses high-performance computing technology to support a Weather-Ready Nation.On April 2, 2020, NOAA designated the four divisions of the Earth System Research Laboratory in Boulder as full laboratories within the NOAA Oceanic and Atmospheric Research line office to meet recent shifts in mission-essential priorities.