Research
The Department of Atmospheric Sciences at SDSM&T has a rich
history of research going back to 1959, when a special resolution
created the Institute of Atmospheric Sciences. At that time, the emphasis was on
weather modification and hail damage research. Today, areas
of scientific emphasis have broadened to include aspects of
atmospheric studies varying from air quality and convection in the
atmosphere to ecosystem structure and the effects of climate on our
earth's ecosystems. In addition to creating a research facility, it
was also necessary to create a teaching unit that allowed master's
degree students to complete the work required by the
scientists while they earned their graduate degree in meteorology
(now atmospheric and environmental sciences). These students, then
and now, work as colleagues of the research scientists.
The expanded mission of the Department of Atmospheric Sciences
is to study the physical, chemical, and biological processes that
affect the composition and dynamics of the earth's atmosphere. Our
research and educational programs focus on regionally relevant
issues of national concern and global importance. Research
conducted at the department is linked to undergraduate, master of science (MS) and doctor of philosophy (PhD) degree curricula that provide a
fundamental understanding of the atmosphere, biosphere, and
hydrosphere. Together our research and educational programs provide
opportunities for students to conduct theoretical and applied
research and training related to earth-atmosphere systems and their
interactions.
Our vision is to create opportunities for students to become
colleagues with the research faculty, conducting leading-edge
science to determine how the Continental Earth System functions,
and transforming this science into products and
services of value to society. Our researchers convert observations
made across scales of time and space, from atmosphere to leaf, into
fluxes of heat, moisture, material, and momentum. These fluxes are
then incorporated into numerical models that describe the behavior
of natural systems and that can predict their behavior in the
future.
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