World Class Research & Development
The Atmospheric Sciences Research Center (ASRC), of the State University of New York at Albany, was established on February 16, 1961 by the Board of Trustees of the State University of New York, as a SUNY system-wide resource for developing and administering programs in basic and applied sciences related to the atmospheric environment.
Founded by Vincent Schaefer, a General Electric protégée of Nobel Prize winner Irving Langmuir, ASRC’s world-class researchers study the physical and chemical processes of the atmosphere, land, and water systems, and apply that knowledge to explore the interaction of chemical, physical, geological and biological processes that impact our environment. Through technology transfer and collaboration with state, federal and industrial partners, ASRC enhances New York State’s scientific capacity and infrastructure, while advancing the quality of life and economic well-being of its citizens.
ASRC is currently located in the CESTM (Center for Emerging Sciences & Technology Management) facility of the SUNY Albany campus. Research and development at ASRC spans a broad spectrum of scientific areas, including: advanced sensor development; laboratory and field experiments in atmospheric chemistry, atmospheric physics, and aerosol microphysics; remote sensing of the environment; global aerosol forecasting, air quality, climate change, dispersion modeling; high performance computing, and data & visual analytics.
ASRC Spotlight
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UAlbany-Led Wind Extremes Forecast System Will Improve Power Outage Prediction, Response in New York
WEFS will combine numerical weather prediction (NWP) modeling with machine learning techniques to produce forecasts of threshold wind speeds and gusts that could lead to power outages at county and sub-county levels in New York State. -
UAlbany's New York State Mesonet to predict strong winds, power outages
Power blackouts across New York might end a bit quicker one day under an experimental wind prediction system being set up at the University at Albany. -
Forecasts from Clean Power Research developed at the ASRC are proven most accurate in EPRI study
The remote sensing and solar resource forecast models developed at the ASRC under funding from Clean Power Research (CPR) are incorporated into CPR’s SolarAnywhere operational data service. SolarAnywhere generates photovoltaic (PV) plant simulations for the solar and utility industries.
The Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) compared PV production forecasts from twelve leading US providers to the metered output of solar systems at four test locations in Georgia and California. SolarAnywhere forecasts performed optimally at all locations. The test spanned one full year of data. It was conducted anonymously whereby forecast providers were not identified to those conducting the test. The figure below illustrates the mean absolute percentage error of the forecasts for each provider/location – SolarAnywhere results are circled at left. -
Cloud Chemistry Workshop at Whiteface Mountain on Sep 16-17, 2016
Researchers from various institutes came together to visit the Whiteface Mountain observatory and to plan future field projects at the site focused on multiphase chemical processes within clouds. -
UAlbany to Host STEM Leaders of Tomorrow
Close to 60 girls from Albany and Schenectady will get the chance to explore science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) at UAlbany through the Girls Inc. Eureka! program.
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Study: Longer Summer Dry Season Observed in Congo Rainforest
Any large changes in rainfall seasonality could impact the future of the world's second rainforest.
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NYPA Partners with UAlbany’s Weather-Climate Enterprise on Solar Forecasting Study
The study supports Gov. Cuomo’s Green New Deal, which puts forth a plan to transition New York to 100 percent carbon-free electricity by 2040 and economy-wide, net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.
