Six fun facts about NOAA’s Air Resources Laboratory on its 75th anniversary

Close-up of a climate station precipitation gauge and wind shield. Credit: NOAA

This year marks the 75th anniversary of NOAA’s Air Resources Laboratory, located in College Park, Maryland with field stations in Tennessee, Idaho and Nevada. Here are six facts about the lab.

Originally established in 1949 by the U.S. Weather Bureau, predecessor of NOAA’s National Weather Service, ARL’s original main mission was to study atmospheric dispersion and conduct meteorological surveys. The idea was to provide detailed information regarding wind flow patterns and other factors to determine how radioactive contaminants might move through the boundary layer.