A NOAA/OU Partnership
The Cooperative Institute for Mesoscale Meteorological Studies (CIMMS) was established in 1978 as a cooperative program between the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and The University of Oklahoma (OU). CIMMS provides a mechanism to link the scientific and technical resources of OU and NOAA to create a center of research excellence in mesoscale meteorology, regional climate studies, and related subject areas. CIMMS-supported scientists and students conduct research in mesoscale dynamics, radar research, development, and analysis, atmospheric electricity, severe storms, cloud microphysics, and boundary layer studies, with increasing emphasis in recent years on the climatic effects of/controls on mesoscale processes, the socioeconomic impact of such phenomena, and climate change monitoring and detection. CIMMS is one of 21 NOAA Cooperative Institutes in 17 states.
CIMMS research contributes to the NOAA mission through improvement of the observation, analysis, understanding, and prediction of weather elements and systems and climate anomalies ranging in size from cloud nuclei to multi-state areas. Advances in observational and analytical techniques lead to improved understanding of the evolution and structure of these phenomena. Understanding provides the foundation for more accurate prediction of hazardous weather and anomalous regional climate. Better prediction contributes to improved social and economic welfare. Because small-, meso-, and regional-scale phenomena are also important causes and manifestations of climate, CIMMS research is contributing to improved understanding of the global climate system and regional climate variability and change. CIMMS promotes research collaboration between scientists at OU and NOAA by providing a center where government and academic scientists may work together to learn about and apply their knowledge of mesoscale weather and regional-scale climate processes.
Collaborations
CIMMS promotes cooperation and collaboration on problems of mutual interest among OU research scientists and students and the NOAA Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research (OAR) National Severe Storms Laboratory (NSSL), National Weather Service (NWS) Radar Operations Center (ROC) for the WSR-88D (NEXRAD) Program, NWS NCEP (National Centers for Environmental Prediction) Storm Prediction Center (SPC), NWS Warning Decision Training Branch (WDTB), and a NWS Forecast Office, all located in Norman, Oklahoma. CIMMS also fosters collaboration with the NWS National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service (NESDIS) National Climatic Data Center (NCDC) in Asheville, NC, and with the NWS Southern Region Headquarters (SRH) in Fort Worth, TX.
National Weather Center
CIMMS is part of the National Weather Center, a unique confederation of federal, state, and OU organizations that work together in partnership to improve understanding of the Earth's atmosphere. Recognized for its collective expertise in severe weather, many of the research and development activities of the Center have served society by improving weather observing and forecasting, and thus have contributed to reductions in loss of life and property. Many entities of the National Weather Center played a key role in the decade-long, $2 billion dollar modernization and restructuring of the National Weather Service. National Weather Center organizations employ approximately 650 men and women and provide more than $45 million annually to the Oklahoma economy. Today, all organizations are collocated in the new National Weather Center facility, completed in 2006 at a cost of $69 million.
Research
CIMMS concentrates its research and outreach efforts and resources on the following principal themes:
- Basic Convective and Mesoscale Research
- Forecast Improvements
- Climate Effects of / Controls on Mesoscale Processes
- Socioeconomic Impacts of Mesoscale Weather Systems and Regional-Scale Climate Variations
- Doppler Weather Radar Research and Development
- Climate Change Monitoring and Detection
Outreach
CIMMS participates each summer with other members of the Oklahoma Weather Center in hosting a National Science Foundation Research Experience for Undergraduates in Meteorology.
Administration
CIMMS scientists, students, and staff at OU and the NOAA units numbered 171 in FY 2007, including numerous Senior Research Scientists, Distinguished Professors, and Visiting Scholars. During FY 2007, external funding for CIMMS approached $10 million, with supported research reported in numerous refereed journals and conference papers.