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Research facility · Boulder · United States

NSF NCAR High Altitude Observatory

In research, NSF NCAR High Altitude Observatory stands highest in Physical Sciences (#6,979 of 12,888 worldwide), 2022–2025. Relative to its size it is most specialised in Astronomy and Astrophysics and Physics and Astronomy — Astronomy and Astrophysics is 86.5× its share of world research.

www2.hao.ucar.eduROR OpenAlex
World rank, 2022–2025
#11,890
of 28,054 · #6,406 all time
Rank in United States
#1,621
of 4,192
Research works
1.5k
▼ 15% vs 2013–17
Citations
63k
40.5 per fractional work
Top-10% rate
21.1%
record average 16.5%
Open access
44%
world 28%

What is NSF NCAR High Altitude Observatory known for in research?

The fields where it stands highest, 2022–2025, ranked among every institution above the floor in each field.

FieldWorld rankWhere that sitsTop-10% rateWorksAll time
Physical SciencesDomain #6,979 of 12,888 22.2%90 #4231

Each strip is that field’s whole ranked pool, with the notch where NSF NCAR High Altitude Observatory sits in it, in the colour of the band that rank falls in. The track under the rate is the rate itself: it carries no world mark, because the world rate differs by field (from about 6% to 21% in this record).

What does NSF NCAR High Altitude Observatory specialise in?

Where its research is concentrated relative to its size: Astronomy and Astrophysics takes 86.5× the share of its output that it takes of world research.

  1. Astronomy and AstrophysicsSubfield · 55.5 works87×
  2. Physics and AstronomyField · 57.1 works21×
← less than its size predicts1×more →

Location quotient, a volume reading rather than an impact one. It surfaces small, lopsided specialities.

Field profile

Location quotient across every field it publishes in: outside the ring is more than an institution of this size would be expected to publish, inside it is less.

Agricultural and Biological Sciences: 0.27× its world share, 2 worksAgricultural and Bio…Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology: 2.65× its world share, 17 worksBiochemistry, Geneti…Immunology and Microbiology: 1.12× its world share, 1 worksImmunology and Micro…Neuroscience: 0.66× its world share, 1 worksNeurosciencePharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutics: 1.86× its world share, 1 worksPharmacology, Toxico…Chemical Engineering: 0.31× its world share, 0 worksChemical EngineeringChemistry: 0.08× its world share, 0 worksChemistryComputer Science: 0.17× its world share, 2 worksComputer ScienceEarth and Planetary Sciences: 10.20× its world share, 20 worksEarth and Planetary …Energy: 0.58× its world share, 1 worksEnergyEngineering: 0.39× its world share, 7 worksEngineeringEnvironmental Science: 0.52× its world share, 3 worksEnvironmental ScienceMaterials Science: 0.16× its world share, 1 worksMaterials ScienceMathematics: 0.05× its world share, 0 worksMathematicsPhysics and Astronomy: 20.77× its world share, 57 worksPhysics and AstronomyHealth Professions: 0.11× its world share, 0 worksHealth ProfessionsMedicine: 0.29× its world share, 7 worksMedicineNursing: 0.62× its world share, 0 worksNursingArts and Humanities: 0.03× its world share, 0 worksArts and HumanitiesBusiness, Management and Accounting: 0.02× its world share, 0 worksBusiness, Management…Decision Sciences: 0.59× its world share, 1 worksDecision SciencesEconomics, Econometrics and Finance: 0.08× its world share, 0 worksEconomics, Econometr…Psychology: 0.09× its world share, 0 worksPsychologySocial Sciences: 0.09× its world share, 1 worksSocial Sciences1×world share
more than its size predictsabout as predictedless

Rings at 0.5×, 1× and 2×. Widest outward: Physics and Astronomy, 20.8×. Every wedge is a field page.

Who are the top researchers at NSF NCAR High Altitude Observatory?

Ranked on the composite score, Timothy M. Brown, S. Tomczyk and R. A. Shine lead among researchers whose main affiliation is NSF NCAR High Altitude Observatory.

  1. 1 Timothy M. Brown United States · #19,767 worldwide 857 citations · 56 works
  2. 2 S. Tomczyk United States · #20,361 worldwide 529 citations · 63 works
  3. 3 R. A. Shine United States · #37,119 worldwide 411 citations · 47 works
  4. 4 A. Skumanich United States · #47,095 worldwide 606 citations · 81 works
  5. 5 Dimitri Mihalas United States · #48,760 worldwide 411 citations · 52 works
  6. 6 A. J. Hundhausen United States · #52,325 worldwide 308 citations · 42 works
  7. 7 B. W. Lites United States · #54,768 worldwide 570 citations · 89 works
  8. 8 T. E. Holzer United States · #93,547 worldwide 318 citations · 53 works
  9. 9 A. D. Richmond United States · #96,758 worldwide 439 citations · 101 works
  10. 10 B. C. Low United States · #103,058 worldwide 373 citations · 67 works
All ranked researchers at NSF NCAR High Altitude Observatory

Which keywords describe research at NSF NCAR High Altitude Observatory?

By fractional works in 2022–2025, weighted toward what it does more of than the world: Solar Wind, Ionosphere, Magnetosphere, Coronal Mass Ejections, Solar Dynamics Observatory, Geomagnetic Field, Magnetosome Formation and Ionospheric Anomalies.

▲ more of its work than of the world’s◆ about the world’s share▼ less than the world’s

Size is fractional works in 2022–2025 in the topics tagged with each word; colour is the word's share of this institution's work against its share of the world's. The 40 words are chosen for being large and distinctive. Each links to the topic it comes from most.

All 40 words, with their numbers
  1. Solar Wind45▲ 391×2 topics
  2. Ionosphere23▲ 327×1 topic
  3. Magnetosphere23▲ 327×1 topic
  4. Coronal Mass Ejections22▲ 488×1 topic
  5. Solar Dynamics Observatory22▲ 488×1 topic
  6. Geomagnetic Field9▲ 333×1 topic
  7. Magnetosome Formation9▲ 333×1 topic
  8. Ionospheric Anomalies7▲ 140×1 topic
  9. Seismic Electromagnetics7▲ 140×1 topic
  10. Climate Change7▲ 1.97×12 topics
  11. Ozone Depletion6▲ 167×1 topic
  12. Stratospheric Water Vapor6▲ 167×1 topic
  13. Exoplanets4▲ 90×1 topic
  14. Oxidative Stress4▲ 2.2×13 topics
  15. Stellar Astrophysics4▲ 90×1 topic
  16. Solar System Abundances4▲ 70×1 topic
  17. Terrestrial Planets4▲ 70×1 topic
  18. Sea Level Rise4▲ 26×2 topics
  19. Geodetic Measurements4▲ 27×2 topics
  20. GRACE4▲ 55×1 topic
  21. groundwater depletion4▲ 55×1 topic
  22. Cancer3▲ 1.65×16 topics
  23. Orbit Determination2▲ 46×2 topics
  24. GNSS2▲ 90×1 topic
  25. Global Navigation Satellite Systems2▲ 76×1 topic
  26. Adaptation2▲ 6.0×3 topics
  27. Global Warming2▲ 4.2×3 topics
  28. High Altitude2▲ 118×1 topic
  29. Hypoxia2▲ 118×1 topic
  30. Ocean Circulation2▲ 13×3 topics
  31. Antioxidant2▲ 2.2×11 topics
  32. Data Assimilation2▲ 8.7×3 topics
  33. Solar Energy2▲ 4.2×3 topics
  34. Hydrological Cycle2▲ 13×2 topics
  35. Climate Modeling1▲ 15×1 topic
  36. Extreme Events1▲ 13×1 topic
  37. Oxygen Sensing1▲ 9.2×2 topics
  38. Pulmonary Hypertension1▲ 7.5×2 topics
  39. Solar Radiation1▲ 21×1 topic
  40. Ensemble Kalman Filter1▲ 8.6×2 topics

Which research topics does NSF NCAR High Altitude Observatory publish most on?

By volume in 2022–2025: Ionosphere and magnetosphere dynamics, Solar and Space Plasma Dynamics, Geomagnetism and Paleomagnetism Studies and Earthquake Detection and Analysis.

Ionosphere and magnetosp…23Ionosphere and magnetosphere dynamics: 23 fractional worksSolar and Space Plasma D…22Solar and Space Plasma Dynamics: 22 fractional worksGeomagnetism and Paleomagnetism Studies: 9 fractional worksEarthquake Detection and Analysis: 7 fractional worksAtmospheric Ozone and Cl…6Atmospheric Ozone and Climate: 6 fractional worksStellar, planetary, and galactic studies: 4 fractional worksAstro and Planetary Science: 4 fractional worksGeophysics and Gravity Measurements: 4 fractional worksGNSS positioning and interference: 2 fractional worksHigh Altitude and Hypoxia: 2 fractional works
Astronomy and AstrophysicsMolecular BiologyGeophysicsAtmospheric Science3 others

Area is fractional works; colour is the subfield each topic belongs to.

  1. 1 Ionosphere and magnetosphere dynamics Astronomy and Astrophysics 23 works
  2. 2 Solar and Space Plasma Dynamics Astronomy and Astrophysics 22 works
  3. 3 Geomagnetism and Paleomagnetism Studies Molecular Biology 9 works
  4. 4 Earthquake Detection and Analysis Geophysics 7 works
  5. 5 Atmospheric Ozone and Climate Atmospheric Science 6 works
  6. 6 Stellar, planetary, and galactic studies Astronomy and Astrophysics 4 works
  7. 7 Astro and Planetary Science Astronomy and Astrophysics 4 works
  8. 8 Geophysics and Gravity Measurements Oceanography 4 works
  9. 9 GNSS positioning and interference Aerospace Engineering 2 works
  10. 10 High Altitude and Hypoxia Genetics 2 works

How open and international is its research?

Against the world’s own shares — the tick on each track. Both are shares of its output, so they sit on one scale and can be read against each other as well as against the world.

openly available43.9%not open56.1%

World: 28% of research is openly available.

with international co-authors29.6%domestic only70.4%

World: 19% is written across borders.

How has NSF NCAR High Altitude Observatory's research output changed?

Output in 2018–2022 was 15% lower than in 2013–2017.

1990200020102020
grewheldshrank

The same series as a ribbon — one cell per year, darker for more. The line above answers how much; this answers when.

Other research institutions in Boulder

All research institutions in Boulder

Research measures only: rankings here say nothing about teaching, admissions or student experience. Comparable institutions and collaboration partners are in the interactive view on the map.