University of Washington Department of Atmospheric and Climate Science

What University of Washington Department of Atmospheric and Climate Science does

The University of Washington Department of Atmospheric and Climate Science is an academic research unit within the UW College of the Environment, headquartered in Seattle, Washington, and operating continuously since approximately 1948. It conducts basic and applied research in atmospheric dynamics, climate modeling, weather prediction, and Earth system science, and is consistently ranked #1 globally in its discipline and the third most cited climate research institution worldwide. The department educates undergraduate and graduate students, runs a K-12 outreach program, and provides public weather data services for the Pacific Northwest region.

The department's core technical outputs include peer-reviewed research publications, trained graduate scientists, and a portfolio of proprietary AI-driven models: DLESyM (a deep-learning Earth system emulator), StormCast (a high-resolution AI weather forecasting model co-developed with NVIDIA), and the AI Greenhouse carbon cycle modeling initiative. Underlying technology relies on in-house deep-learning pipelines, high-performance computing access through university and federal facilities, and integration with satellite observation programs from NASA and the Department of Energy. Its business model is non-commercial: it is funded through the University of Washington's state appropriation, federal research grants (primarily NSF, NASA, DOE), tuition, and philanthropic gifts, and it does not sell products or services to external customers.

Name

University of Washington Department of Atmospheric and Climate Science

Legal name

University of Washington

Website

https://atmos.uw.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

1948

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The University of Washington Department of Atmospheric and Climate Science is an academic research unit within the UW College of the Environment that conducts world-leading research in atmospheric science, climate modeling, and AI-driven weather prediction, serving students, federal agencies, and the Pacific Northwest public.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education - Atmospheric and Climate Science Research

NAICS

Geophysical Surveying and Mapping Services (54136)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Downscaled Climate Projections & Scenario Analytics (CMIP, SSP/RCP, Regionalization) (EUABALAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Ambient Air Quality Monitoring (Criteria Pollutants & Air Toxics) (EUAHACAA), Climate & Emissions Data Management (Data Lake, Integration, APIs) (EUABAEAC), GHG Monitoring Plans & Sampling Design (Field Protocols, QA/QC) (EUABACAE)

Keywords

• Atmospheric science research
• Climate modeling services
• Weather forecasting education
• Meteorology graduate programs
• Air quality research

Headquarters

HQ city

Seattle

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The University of Washington Department of Atmospheric and Climate Science is an academic department that educates undergraduate and graduate students in atmospheric science, meteorology, climate science, and atmospheric chemistry; conducts research on weather, climate change, atmospheric chemistry, and air quality; and operates free public weather forecasting and real-time observation services for the Pacific Northwest through products such as UW Dawgcast, the WRF-GFS high-resolution model, and a regional radar, satellite, and surface station network.

Product overview

The University of Washington Department of Atmospheric and Climate Science operates primarily as an academic research and education department rather than a commercial product company. Its offerings consist of educational programs (undergraduate and graduate degrees in atmospheric science, meteorology, climate, and data science), public weather forecasting services (UW Dawgcast), and free weather/climate data products including real-time radar, satellite imagery, regional weather modeling (WRF-GFS at multiple resolutions), station observations, and historical data archives. The department also conducts K-12 outreach and community education programs. The primary products are data and forecasting tools for the Pacific Northwest region, supported by academic research capabilities including AI-powered climate modeling (DLESyM) and deep learning weather prediction systems.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• UW Dawgcast Weather Forecast Service A weather forecasting service run by UW students that provides daily weather forecasts specifically for the University of Washington community and surrounding region. Offered as part of the ATM S 493: Media & Meteorology course where students gain hands-on forecasting experience.
• Northwest Modeling (WRF-GFS Forecast System) High-resolution numerical weather prediction system running WRF-GFS models at 36km, 12km, 4km, and 1 1/3 km resolutions for the Pacific Northwest, including Extended WRF-GFS and the UW Ensemble Forecast System that provides probabilistic precipitation and temperature forecasts.
• Northwest Radar Real-time radar imagery from multiple radars covering the Pacific Northwest region, displaying base reflectivity, base radial velocity, and composite reflectivity data updated continuously.
• Northwest Satellite Imagery Satellite imagery product combining visible daytime imagery with IR nighttime data, with options for water vapor channel and lightning flash extent density overlay, providing 6-hour animated loops of Pacific Northwest atmospheric conditions.
• Northwest Stations Plot Interactive plotting tool for regional weather station data including temperature, dewpoint, humidity, wind speed/direction, sea level pressure, solar radiation, and precipitation across Washington, Idaho, Oregon, and British Columbia.
• Washington Observations Hourly surface weather observations plotted using standard NWS station plots, displaying temperature, dew point, current weather, wind, sky cover, and station ID for Washington State.
• Data & Forecasts Portal Comprehensive portal providing access to local data, national data, radar, satellite imagery, climate data, weather loops, historical weather map archives including North American weather maps and high-resolution Washington State surface maps, and weather product digests.
• UW Weather Discussion Launch Pad Interactive platform for the ATMS 490: Current Weather Analysis course providing surface observations, upper air observations including Stuve and Skew-T plots, satellite imagery, radar products, and ensemble model outputs for educational purposes.
• Historical Weather Map Archive Archive of North American historical weather maps and high-resolution Washington State surface maps allowing users to view past atmospheric conditions from surface to 200mb levels.
• K-12 Outreach Program Free volunteer-based outreach program where graduate students educate K-12 students through campus field trips, school visits for demonstrations, science fair judging, and topics including general weather, storms, climate, and Pacific Northwest weather. Up to 30 outreach events are conducted annually.
• Graduate Academic Program (MS and PhD in Atmospheric Sciences) Graduate degree program (MS and PhD) in atmospheric and climate science with tracks in meteorology, climate, atmospheric chemistry, and data science, administered through UW admissions with fellowships and research support.
• Undergraduate Academic Program (BS in Atmospheric and Climate Science) Undergraduate degree program (BS) in Atmospheric and Climate Science with options in Meteorology, Climate, Atmospheric Chemistry & Air Quality, and Data Science, including research, internship, and scholarship opportunities.

Quantifiable outcome

• 1000-year climate simulation generated in 12 hours (vs. traditional models taking much longer)
• +3 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability8 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• NASA NURTURE MissioncoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 10 April 2026Prof. Lynn McMurdie, graduate student Valeria Garcia, and postdoc Troy Zaremba joined the North American Upstream Feature-Resolving and Tropopause Uncertainty Reconnaissance Experiment based in Labrador, Canada, flying directly into developing storms.
• NVIDIAcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 24 March 2026Prof. Dale Durran holds 25% appointment at NVIDIA as principal research scientist and was named 2026 NVIDIA Research Faculty Fellow for AI for Earth system prediction research.
• NASAcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 10 February 2026NASA selected STRIVE (Stratosphere Troposphere Response using Infrared Vertically-resolved light Explorer) satellite mission led by Prof. Lyatt Jaeglé. Also involved in NURTURE research mission studying Arctic atmosphere with specialized aircraft.
• U.S. Department of Energy ARM User FacilitycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2025Prof. Roger Marchand served as Co-PI on CAPE-k (Cloud And Precipitation Experiment at kennaook) campaign in Tasmania studying Southern Ocean clouds and precipitation.
• University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProf. Shuyi Chen serves as chair of UCAR, which operates the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) for weather and climate research.
• Northwest Modeling ConsortiumcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSupports Pacific Northwest Environmental Forecasts and Observations including WRF-GFS modeling and ensemble forecasting systems.
• College of the Environment (UW)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDepartment is one of 18 units within the College of the Environment at UW, including Aquatic and Fishery Sciences, Earth and Space Sciences, Oceanography, and others.
• Program on Climate Change (UW)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative program highlighted in Carbon Brief Cosmos 500 ranking for climate research publications.
• Climate Impacts Group (UW)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative group highlighted in Carbon Brief Cosmos 500 ranking for climate research publications.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR): Federally funded but institutionally independent research center operated by UCAR that runs supercomputing, aircraft, and modeling programs; competes with UW for atmospheric science talent, field-campaign leadership, and is directly intertwined with UW via Prof. Chen's UCAR chair role.
• Princeton University — Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences (AOS): Top-ranked peer academic department in atmospheric and climate science with closely aligned research in climate dynamics, weather prediction, and ocean-atmosphere coupling; competes with UW for graduate students, faculty, and federal funding.
• Colorado State University — Department of Atmospheric Science: Direct peer department focused on atmospheric science, weather forecasting, and cloud physics; collaborates and competes with UW on regional modeling, field campaigns, and graduate training.
• Columbia University — Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory: Major academic climate and atmospheric research center with parallel capabilities in climate modeling, paleoclimate, and atmospheric chemistry; competes with UW for top-tier graduate students and federal grant funding.
• Massachusetts Institute of Technology — Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences: A leading peer academic department in atmospheric and climate science with overlapping research areas in climate modeling, atmospheric chemistry, and Earth-system prediction; competes with UW for top graduate applicants, faculty hires, and federal grants.
• University of California San Diego — Scripps Institution of Oceanography: Peer academic research institution with strong atmospheric and climate science programs, including atmospheric chemistry and climate modeling; competes for talent and recognition in global atmospheric science rankings.
• Stanford University — Stanford Earth, School of Earth, Energy & Environmental Sciences: Peer institution with overlapping atmospheric and climate science research, including Earth-system modeling and atmospheric chemistry; competes for faculty, graduate students, and citations in the same global ranking.

Regional players

• Max Planck Institute for Meteorology: Leading European peer research institute in climate modeling and atmospheric science; competes with UW for global ranking position and talent but operates in a different geography; a recognized comparable on AI and high-resolution climate modeling.

Broad incumbents

• NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS): NASA's climate modeling research center; overlaps with UW's DLESyM/AI Earth-system work and is a partner via the STRIVE mission; competes for climate-modeling talent and visibility.
• NOAA Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory (GFDL): Federal Earth-system modeling laboratory producing CMIP-class climate models and competing for talent and federal resources with UW's modeling groups; a key collaborator and competitor for AI-Earth-system research.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCbEmigxpSICZIscdtX46KMw
• Facebookfacebook.com/UWAtmosSci
• Instagraminstagram.com/uwatmossci
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/university-of-washington-department-of-atmospheric-sciences

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about University of Washington Department of Atmospheric and Climate Science