Laboratory of Atmospheric Sciences (LAS) Records
Scope and Contents
The Laboratory of Atmospheric Sciences (LAS) Records document LAS lab-level and program-level reporting and planning, as well as the administrative and research activities of a selection of scientists and their programs. These include J. Doyne Sartor, Edward Zipser, and Douglas Lilly. This collection also contains many time-lapse cloud films created by the Cloud Physics program, as well as anemometer records documenting wind conditions at several Boulder-area sites in the late 1960s. Also present is one box of microfilms from the 1968 Barbados Experiment and BOMEX.
Dates
- Creation: 1957 - 1977
- Creation: Majority of material found within 1963 - 1973
Creator
- Laboratory of Atmospheric Sciences (LAS) (Organization)
- Lilly, Douglas K. (Person)
- Sartor, J. Doyne (Person)
- Zipser, Edward (Person)
Conditions Governing Access
Access to this collection is open.
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
The Laboratory of Atmospheric Sciences (LAS) was one of the earliest NCAR labs. The nucleus of the LAS staff was assembled in early summer 1961. In the early years of LAS, the lab was structured around a number of somewhat autonomous research programs, each loosely organized around the work of a single scientist. At the end of 1966, two departments were created in LAS: Atmospheric Dynamics, under Philip Thompson, and Atmospheric Chemistry and Microphysics, under Richard Cadle. In 1970, a third LAS department was formed: Atmospheric Physics, led by J. Doyne Sartor. NCAR’s structure was reorganized in July 1973, and the three discipline-oriented departments in LAS were reclassified into two new NCAR divisions, Atmospheric Analysis and Prediction (AAP) and Atmospheric Quality and Modification (AQM).
Full Extent
25 Linear Feet
Language of Materials
English
Arrangement
Arrangement is by material type.
The collection consists of six series in 25 boxes:
Series I: Reports; Series II: Douglas Lilly Files; Series III: J. Doyne Sartor Files; Series IV: Edward Zipser Files; Series V: Audiovisual Materials; Series VI: Anemometer Records.
Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements
The films in the Audiovisual Materials series are not currently available for playback, as they have not been reformatted to a digital medium.
Physical Access Requirements
The collection must be viewed in the Archives during normal business hours.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Donated to the NCAR Archives in multiple accessions dating from the 1970s through 2010. Details for many of the accessions are incomplete or absent.
General
Please note that this laboratory is referred to in Archives documents as both the Laboratory of Atmospheric Sciences and the Laboratory of Atmospheric Science.
Processing Information
Collection processing was completed in June 2025. Original file groupings were identified and kept intact, and original folder titles were retained. Misfiled and loose items were returned to their logical place within the collection.
Duplicate records, travel vouchers, purchase orders, and receipts were weeded from the collection. Human resources records and other records containing personal data and sensitive information, such as social security numbers, were shredded.
The collection was rehoused in acid-free folders and boxes. Metal paper clips and rusting staples were replaced with plastic paper clips. Film canisters were removed from acidic cardboard boxes, and identifying information on the boxes was transferred to canister labels. Films without canisters were housed in archival quality film canisters.
Genre / Form
- Title
- Laboratory of Atmospheric Sciences (LAS) Records
- Status
- Completed
- Author
- Shelley Nayak
- Date
- 2025-06-06
- 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