NDACC Goals and Organization

The Network for the Detection of Atmospheric Composition Change (NDACC), a major contributor to the worldwide atmospheric research effort, consists of a set of globally distributed research stations providing consistent, standardized, long-term measurements of atmospheric trace gases, particles, spectral UV radiation reaching the Earth's surface, and physical parameters, centered around the following priorities:

• Detecting changes and trends in atmospheric composition and understanding their impact on the stratosphere and troposphere,
• Establishing scientific links and feedbacks between climate change and atmospheric composition,
• Testing and validating atmospheric measurements from satellites,
• Supporting process-focused scientific field campaigns, and
• Testing and improving theoretical models of the atmosphere.

The NDACC is a major component of the international atmospheric research effort and has been endorsed by national and international scientific agencies, including the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) and the International Ozone Commission of the International Association of Meteorology and Atmospheric Sciences. Since its inception in the early nineties, NDACC (formerly NDSC) is a major contribution to the Global Atmosphere Watch (GAW) Program of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).

The NDACC Steering Committee consists of two co-chairs, pairs of PIs representing each of the Working Groups, Independent Scientists who are appointed to act as peer reviewers, and ex-officio members from important NDACC funding agencies.

To ensure quality and consistency of NDACC operations and products, a number of protocols have been formulated covering such topics as measurements, data, instruments inter-comparisons, theory and analysis, validation, and Cooperating Networks.