Federal Funding Helps Support Atmospheric River Research

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This story appears in the spring 2025 issue of UC San Diego Magazine as “Taking Flight.”

Jeri Wilcox, MAS ’23, a research data analyst at the Center for Western Weather and Water Extremes at UC San Diego’s Scripps Institution of Oceanography, peers out the window of a NOAA Gulfstream IV aircraft during a February 2025 flight above an atmospheric river, a type of storm system that delivers a large share of precipitation to the U.S. West Coast. These winter flights are planned by Scripps scientists as part of the Atmospheric River Reconnaissance program. Data collected on these flights improves forecasts of these storms, leading to enhanced public safety during flood events and increased water supply resilience through more informed decision-making by reservoir operators. The program is made possible thanks to support from the California Department of Water Resources, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and a collaborative partnership with NOAA’s National Weather Service.

Learn more about UC San Diego’s work in understanding and forecasting atmospheric rivers.