Climate and Global Dynamics Division (CGD) Records
Scope and Contents
The Climate and Global Dynamics Division (CGD) Records document the research activities and administration of CGD and its predecessor lab, the Atmospheric Analysis and Prediction Division (AAP), from the 1970s through the 2000s. The administrative material includes records on climate model advisory committees, program planning, division review, and computing. The collection documents the research of a number of individual CGD scientists, as well as their professional contributions to external organizations, including the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). Also present in the collection are records on UCAR’s Climate System Modeling Program (CSMP) and UCAR’s Accelerated Computing Environment (ACE) request for proposal. The collection also contains a set of anemometer records documenting wind conditions at NCAR in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
Dates
- Creation: 1968 - 2006
Creator
- Climate and Global Dynamics Division (CGD) (Organization)
Conditions Governing Access
The majority of materials in this collection are open for access. Some materials related to litigation over the purchase of a new supercomputer are restricted.
Conditions Governing Use
Not all of the material in the collection is in the public domain. Researchers are responsible for addressing copyright issues.
Biographical / Historical
NCAR’s Atmospheric Analysis and Prediction division (AAP) was formed in 1973, as one of two successors to the Laboratory of Atmospheric Sciences (LAS). Cecil Leith was the first director of AAP; he was followed by Richard Anthes and Robert Dickinson. AAP became known as the Climate and Global Dynamics division (CGD) in 1987, following an NCAR-wide reorganization. At this time personnel in the Advanced Study Program (ASP) who were engaged in climate research joined CGD. Warren Washington was appointed CGD director in June 1987; he was succeeded by Maurice Blackmon and James Hurrell.
Full Extent
31.00 Linear Feet
Language of Materials
English
Arrangement
Arrangement is by record creator and material type. The collection is arranged into 11 series: Series 1: Division Director’s Office; Series 2: AAP Climate Section; Series 3: Ecosystem Dynamics and the Atmosphere Section (EDAS); Series 4: Thomas Bettge Files; Series 5: James Hack Files; Series 6: James McWilliams Files; Series 7: Stephen Schneider Files; Series 8: Thomas Wigley Files; Series 9: Publications; Series 10: Anemometer Records; Series 11: Data Tapes.
Physical Access Requirements
The collection must be viewed in the Archives during normal business hours.
Source of Acquisition
Climate and Global Dynamics Division (CGD)
Method of Acquisition
This is a legacy collection; original box labels indicate the records came to the Archives from the Climate and Global Dynamics Division (CGD) Director's Office. Some materials came to the Archives in 2010-2011 as part of a project to clean up materials stored at an off-site storage facility.
Processing Information
This collection was originally processed in summer 2013, and was reprocessed in 2025-2026. At this time the six boxes of previously processed records were integrated with 25 boxes of newly processed records. Original file groupings were identified and kept intact, and original folder titles were retained. The collection has been rehoused in acid-free folders and boxes.
Subject
- Washington, Warren M. (Person)
- Title
- Climate and Global Dynamics Division (CGD) Records
- Status
- Completed
- Author
- Shelley Nayak, Ellen Kalwarovski, and Kathleen Legg
- Date
- 2026-07-27
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
Repository Details
Part of the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) Archives Repository