2026 NOAA Atmospheric Composition Modeling Summit Towards UFS capabilities

The NOAA Atmospheric Composition Modeling Summit will assess NOAA's atmospheric composition modeling tools and applications, and to prepare for adoption of Unified Forecasting System (UFS) capabilities via streamlined cross-NOAA collaboration. Atmospheric composition modeling at NOAA is supported by several labs, programs and centers, and spans regional to global models, including fully coupled Earth System Models. NOAA scientists also co-develop and use models that have non-NOAA sources, but have NOAA mission applications. As NOAA centralizes its model development to leverage and align with the Unified Forecasting System, there is a need for increased collaboration across many laboratories. To that end, the first version of UFS-Chem, a UFS-compatible chemistry model, has recently been developed and documented. The next step is for the NOAA community to take stock of all the modeling systems to identify the pathways and needs towards further UFS adoption and external collaborations that could greatly enhance this development. Expected outputs and outcomes of the workshop: Increased cross-NOAA awareness and coordination of Atmospheric Composition modeling activities, including research and modeling, through exchange of information and networking. Assessment of all Atmospheric Composition modeling tools, applications and development needs across NOAA - catalog to be developed. Strategy for UFS-focused collaboration with external community and across all labs, programs and centers at NOAA. The summit will be held at NOAA Headquarters in Silver Spring, MD. Registrants are encouraged to attend in person, but there will also be a virtual component. The virtual component will allow participants to listen to all discussions and ask questions through a chat application.