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Desert Research Institute (DRI) is the nonprofit research campus of the
Nevada System of Higher Education The Nevada System of Higher Education (NSHE, formerly the University and Community College System of Nevada or "UCCSN") is a state government unit in Nevada that oversees its public system of colleges and universities. It was formed in 1968 to ove ...
(NSHE), the organization that oversees all publicly supported higher education in the U.S. state of
Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. N ...
. At DRI, approximately 460 research faculty and support staff engage in $43 million in sponsored research each year. DRI's environmental research programs are divided into three core divisions (Atmospheric Sciences, Earth and Ecosystem Sciences, and Hydrologic Sciences) and a robust K-12 STEM education program. Established in 1988, the institute's
Nevada Medal The Nevada Medal was established in 1988 by the Desert Research Institute. It is awarded for "outstanding achievement in science and engineering", and is presented by the Governor of Nevada. The previous recipients are: # Verner Suomi # Dwight Bil ...
awards "outstanding achievement in science and engineering".


Programs


Atmospheric sciences

The DRI Atmospheric Modeling group implements a full suite of numerical models of the atmosphere and climate including fine-scale computational fluid dynamics codes, Lagrangian particle models, chemical transport models, medium-resolution regional weather and climate models, and fully coupled ocean-atmospheric global climate system models. They conduct basic and applied research related to fundamental weather and climate processes, weather predictability and operational forecasting for lead-times from hours to seasonal, regional hydroclimate, air-quality modeling and forecasting, dust modeling, and renewable energy applications. DRI's Atmospheric Modeling faculty and staff have expertise with the following modeling tools: * CFD Models: High-resolution simulations of turbulent flows for fine-scale analyses. The openFOAM framework allows for traditional aerodynamics applications and the coupling of additional physics, such as multiphase flows, porous objects, and particle transport. * CALMET and CALPUFF: Diagnostic meteorology and dispersion models for short- and long-range transport assessments. * WRF Model: Diagnostic and forecast model to develop meteorological solutions from sub-kilometer to regional scales, from case studies to intra-seasonal to decadal regional climate trends and variability. WRF is used as a basic research tool and for atmospheric applications, including operational forecasting. * Global Climate System Models: Implementation and development of the Climate Earth System model (CESM) for process-based understanding, climate engineering, and climate change and variability impact assessments. * CMAQ and CAMx: Three-dimensional urban- and regional-scale multi-pollutant photochemical grid models. * Stochastic Trajectory model: A highly adaptable dispersion Lagrangian model for backward and forward trajectories of particles for adaptation and mitigation and feasibility studies. * HYSPLIT Trajectory Model: Lagrangian model available from NOAA Air Resources Laboratory used to compute air parcel trajectories and dispersion of atmospheric pollutants. * SMOKE Emissions Model: The SMOKE Modeling System from EPA is used to process emissions from different anthropogenic sources. Also, BEIS and MEGAN software can be used to process emissions from biogenic sources.


Western Regional Climate Center

The
Western Regional Climate Center The Western Regional Climate Center (WRCC) is a climate research center serving the Western United States. The WRCC is one of six regional centers administered by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and National Centers for Environme ...
(WRCC) in Reno, Nevada, delivers high-quality climate data services at national, regional, and state levels working with NOAA partners in the National Climatic Data Center, National Weather Service, the American Association of State Climatologists, and NOAA Research Institutes. This successful effort resulted in jointly developed products, services, and capabilities that enhance the delivery of climate information to the American public and builds a solid foundation for a National Climate Service. Inaugurated in 1986, WRCC is one of six regional climate centers in the United States.


Cloud seeding program

DRI weather modification research produced the Nevada State Cloud Seeding Program in the 1960s. This initiative seeks to augment
snow Snow comprises individual ice crystals that grow while suspended in the atmosphere—usually within clouds—and then fall, accumulating on the ground where they undergo further changes. It consists of frozen crystalline water throughou ...
fall in mountainous regions of Nevada to increase
snowpack Snowpack forms from layers of snow that accumulate in geographic regions and high elevations where the climate includes cold weather for extended periods during the year. Snowpacks are an important water resource that feed streams and rivers as t ...
and water supply. DRI researchers use ground stations and aircraft to release microscopic
silver iodide Silver iodide is an inorganic compound with the formula Ag I. The compound is a bright yellow solid, but samples almost always contain impurities of metallic silver that give a gray coloration. The silver contamination arises because AgI is hi ...
particles into winter clouds, stimulating the formation of ice crystals that develop to snow. Research indicates that cloud seeding leads to precipitation rate increases of 0.1–1.5 millimeters per hour.


Hydrological sciences

The Division of Hydrologic Sciences (DHS) is one of three scientific research divisions within DRI. Since its inception in 1960, DHS faculty have built a solid reputation for delivering high-quality research, development, and education services in the interdisciplinary fields of hydrologic sciences and engineering. The mission of DHS is to contribute to society's fundamental knowledge and understanding of hydrologic systems and to serve as a leader in the long-term sustainability of water resources. In addition to serving as experts in water resources, DHS faculty are renowned for their ability to contribute and deliver cutting-edge solutions in fields associated with earth sciences.


Earth and ecosystem sciences

The Division of Earth and Ecosystem Sciences (DEES) is one of three scientific research divisions within DRI. Since its inception in 1999, DEES has grown steadily and built a strong program of research, development, and education in the earth and ecosystem sciences. The DEES research portfolio reflects the interplay between local, state, national, and international environmental issues, the expertise of our faculty, and the availability of research funding. The mission of DEES is to conduct high-quality basic and applied research in the life and earth sciences, particularly those dealing with complex issues related to soil physics and landscape geomorphology, environmental health, life in extreme environments and biodiversity, STEM education, archeology and architectural history, and environmental spatial analysis and remote sensing.


History

A two-page bill signed into law by the Nevada Governor Grant Sawyer on March 23, 1959, authorized establishment of the Desert Research Institute at the University of Nevada, Reno. UNR hired Dr. Wendell Mordy as the Founding Director (1960–1969) of the university's Desert Research Institute, which initially was an office at the top of the historic
Morrill Hall Morrill Hall may refer to (all are buildings named for Justin Smith Morrill): *Morrill Hall (Cornell University), the building at Cornell University *Morrill Hall, a campus building located at the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign *Morri ...
building on UNR's campus. Early on Mordy also initiated the development of the UNR's Fleishmann Atmospherium Planetarium.


Campuses

;Main research campuses * Dandini Campus –
Reno, Nevada Reno ( ) is a city in the northwest section of the U.S. state of Nevada, along the Nevada-California border, about north from Lake Tahoe, known as "The Biggest Little City in the World". Known for its casino and tourism industry, Reno is th ...
. * Southern Nevada Science Center –
Paradise, Nevada Paradise is an unincorporated town and census-designated place (CDP) in Clark County, Nevada, United States, adjacent to the city of Las Vegas. It was formed on December 8, 1950. Its population was 191,238 at the 2020 census, making it the f ...
. ;Subsidiary campuses * Boulder City Research Facility –
Boulder City, Nevada Boulder City is a city in Clark County, Nevada, United States. It is approximately southeast of Las Vegas. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the population of Boulder City was 14,885. The city took its name from Boulder Canyon ( ...
. * Stead Research Facility -
Reno, Nevada Reno ( ) is a city in the northwest section of the U.S. state of Nevada, along the Nevada-California border, about north from Lake Tahoe, known as "The Biggest Little City in the World". Known for its casino and tourism industry, Reno is th ...


See also

*
Atmospheric dispersion modeling Atmospheric dispersion modeling is the mathematical simulation of how air pollutants disperse in the ambient atmosphere. It is performed with computer programs that include algorithms to solve the mathematical equations that govern the pollutant ...
*
List of atmospheric dispersion models Atmospheric dispersion models are computer programs that use mathematical algorithms to simulate how pollutants in the ambient atmosphere disperse and, in some cases, how they react in the atmosphere. US Environmental Protection Agency models Man ...


Notes


References


External links

*
The Atmospheric and Dispersion Modeling Program
{{authority control 1959 establishments in Nevada 1988 establishments in Nevada Atmospheric dispersion modeling Buildings and structures in Paradise, Nevada Education in Reno, Nevada Educational institutions established in 1959 Educational institutions established in 1988 Meteorological research institutes Nevada System of Higher Education Nuclear research institutes Universities and colleges in Clark County, Nevada Public universities and colleges in Nevada Environmental research institutes