The mission of the Division of Atmospheric and Geospace Sciences (AGS) is to extend intellectual frontiers in atmospheric and geospace sciences by making responsible investments in fundamental research, technology development, and education that enable discoveries, nurture a vibrant, diverse scientific workforce, and help attain a prosperous and sustainable future.

AGS Supports fundamental research regarding physical, chemical, and biological processes that impact the composition and physical phenomena and behavior of matter between the sun and the surface of the Earth. That includes a wide variety of important processes that impact humans and society, such as space weather events, tropospheric weather events, climate, and air quality.

The processes that AGS-funded scientists pursue span a wide range of spatial scales, from solar coronal mass ejections and transmission of energy between the Sun and the Earth, to the molecular precursors of cloud condensation nuclei, and across a range of temporal scales, from paleoclimate studies of Earth's past to the rapid development of a tornado. Because these processes can span a wide array of intellectual ground, AGS partners with other programs within Geosciences and across NSF Directorates, and with other federal agency partners, to help ensure that we are funding the best possible science.

Transformative science is often enabled and extended by state-of-the-art observational instrumentation and associated infrastructure, and the most capable computational hardware and software. Observational tools and infrastructure is supported by the individual programs at the relatively small scale, through the Geospace Facilities (GF) program, the Lower Atmosphere Observing Facilities (LAOF), and through our support of the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR), one of NSF's Federally Funded Research and Development Centers (FFRDC). Please see the NCAR, GF, and LAOF links for more information. AGS also frequently participates in major NSF-wide initiative and long-standing NSF programs, such as the Major Research Instrumentation program.

AGS aims to encourage and inspire a diverse new generation of scientific leaders by promoting interest in the atmospheric and geospace sciences, enhancing educational opportunities and experiences, and supporting early career faculty. This is accomplished through the emphasis on broader impacts in traditional science grants as well as targeted solicitations such as CAREER and Research Education for Undergraduates. AGS also runs a Postdoctoral Research Fellowship program for recent PhD's.

Structurally, AGS is comprised of three sections: the Atmosphere Section, the Geospace Section, and the NCAR and Facilities Section, each of which is led by a Section Head.

The Atmosphere Section is comprised of the Atmospheric Chemistry, Climate and Large-scale Dynamics, Paleoclimate, and Physical and Dynamic Meteorology Programs.

The Geospace Section is comprised of the Aeronomy, Magnetospheric Physics, Solar and Heliospheric Physics, Space Weather, and Geospace Facilities programs. The Geospace Section also runs several cross-program solicitations, such as CEDAR, GEM, SHINE, and the CubeSat-based Science Missions for Geospace and Atmospheric Research.

The NCAR and Facilities Section has the primary oversight role for NCAR and also contains the Lower Atmosphere Observing Facilities, and Educational opportunities programs.

Banner Photo Credit: Lightning.  Jacob DeFlitch, Meteorologist