The Institute of Atmospheric Physics AS CR, also designated as the IAP, is part of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic

Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic

The Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic was established in 1992 by the Czech National Council as the Czech successor of the former Czechoslovak Academy of Sciences. The Academy is the leading non-university public research institution in the Czech Republic...

 (AS CR). Within the IAP research institutions are combined in order to cover the whole field of science

Science

Science is a systematic enterprise that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe...

 and humanities

Humanities

The humanities are academic disciplines that study the human condition, using methods that are primarily analytical, critical, or speculative, as distinguished from the mainly empirical approaches of the natural sciences....

.

The IAP was established in 1964, developed from a previously existing institute. This former institute's main focus was observation, and interpretation of data of tropospheric processes. In 1994 another former institute joined the IAP which then extended its research

Research

Research can be defined as the scientific search for knowledge, or as any systematic investigation, to establish novel facts, solve new or existing problems, prove new ideas, or develop new theories, usually using a scientific method...

 purview to the entire atmosphere

Atmosphere

An atmosphere is a layer of gases that may surround a material body of sufficient mass, and that is held in place by the gravity of the body. An atmosphere may be retained for a longer duration, if the gravity is high and the atmosphere's temperature is low...

, from the boundary layer

Boundary layer

In physics and fluid mechanics, a boundary layer is that layer of fluid in the immediate vicinity of a bounding surface where effects of viscosity of the fluid are considered in detail. In the Earth's atmosphere, the planetary boundary layer is the air layer near the ground affected by diurnal...

 up to interplanetary space. In 2007-2008 the IAP organized several international workshops and meetings.

The institute is staffed by 111 persons (2008) and forty percent of those hold the PhD degree or its equivalent. Throughout the years staff members have published research in a variety of international and national peer review

Peer review

Peer review is a process of self-regulation by a profession or a process of evaluation involving qualified individuals within the relevant field. Peer review methods are employed to maintain standards, improve performance and provide credibility...

ed journals, as well as various books, chapters in books, and monographs. Also, the IAP participates in international research programs, and many international research projects. For example it participates in the Climate and Weather of the Sun-Earth System (CAWSES) program, and the GEO-6 (Galileo for Scientific User Community) research project.

Science investigations

Scientific investigation for the IAP is defined by the vertical extent of the atmosphere. Types of investigations include theoretical models

Theory

The English word theory was derived from a technical term in Ancient Greek philosophy. The word theoria, , meant "a looking at, viewing, beholding", and referring to contemplation or speculation, as opposed to action...

, numerical simulation, and experiment

Experiment

An experiment is a methodical procedure carried out with the goal of verifying, falsifying, or establishing the validity of a hypothesis. Experiments vary greatly in their goal and scale, but always rely on repeatable procedure and logical analysis of the results...

 for the Earth's boundary layer

Boundary layer

In physics and fluid mechanics, a boundary layer is that layer of fluid in the immediate vicinity of a bounding surface where effects of viscosity of the fluid are considered in detail. In the Earth's atmosphere, the planetary boundary layer is the air layer near the ground affected by diurnal...

, troposphere

Troposphere

The troposphere is the lowest portion of Earth's atmosphere. It contains approximately 80% of the atmosphere's mass and 99% of its water vapor and aerosols....

, middle atmosphere

Atmosphere

An atmosphere is a layer of gases that may surround a material body of sufficient mass, and that is held in place by the gravity of the body. An atmosphere may be retained for a longer duration, if the gravity is high and the atmosphere's temperature is low...

, ionosphere

Ionosphere

The ionosphere is a part of the upper atmosphere, comprising portions of the mesosphere, thermosphere and exosphere, distinguished because it is ionized by solar radiation. It plays an important part in atmospheric electricity and forms the inner edge of the magnetosphere...

 and magnetosphere

Magnetosphere

A magnetosphere is formed when a stream of charged particles, such as the solar wind, interacts with and is deflected by the intrinsic magnetic field of a planet or similar body. Earth is surrounded by a magnetosphere, as are the other planets with intrinsic magnetic fields: Mercury, Jupiter,...

.

The main research topic areas currently include mesoscale, dynamical, and applied meteorology

Meteorology

Meteorology is the interdisciplinary scientific study of the atmosphere. Studies in the field stretch back millennia, though significant progress in meteorology did not occur until the 18th century. The 19th century saw breakthroughs occur after observing networks developed across several countries...

. Furthermore, the processes of the atmospheric boundary layer are also of interest. In addition, climate variability and climate change

Climate change

Climate change is a significant and lasting change in the statistical distribution of weather patterns over periods ranging from decades to millions of years. It may be a change in average weather conditions or the distribution of events around that average...

 are studied. Other research is conducted that concerns the ozone

Ozone

Ozone , or trioxygen, is a triatomic molecule, consisting of three oxygen atoms. It is an allotrope of oxygen that is much less stable than the diatomic allotrope...

, along with the previously mentioned ionosphere and magnetosphere. Regarding these upper atmosphere domains, the IAP conducts its own satellite

Satellite

In the context of spaceflight, a satellite is an object which has been placed into orbit by human endeavour. Such objects are sometimes called artificial satellites to distinguish them from natural satellites such as the Moon....

 experiments. Other research extends into space plasma physics  and solar-terrestrial interactions.

Department of Climatology

The Department of Climatology of the IAP is concerned with two broad research areas. These are climate change research, and statistical climatology.

Climate change research

Climate change research includes the observation, analysis, and establishing trends regarding the variations of long-term extreme warm and cold temperature phenomena in central and south-eastern Europe. Of note is a prevailing warming trend when analysing both the warm and cold events during the 20th century. Also of note are changes in the atmospheric circulation patterns. Global Circulation Model (GCM) outputs are related to the region of the Czech Republic and central Europe. In addition, this department is developing a Regional Climate Model in conjunction with another Czech institute and Charles University. Included in this departments work are impact assessments by constructing climate change scenarios for selected experimental units in the Czech Republic.

Statistical climatology

Various validated statistical models and predictors are employed which provide a platform for research in climate change. These include extreme value analysis, non-linear time series analysis, statistical downscaling, and the stochastic weather generator.

Research projects

The Department of Climatology is involved in research projects listed from starting in 2004 to starting in 2008. Some of the titles are as follows:

2008

• Probabilistic climate scenarios for the Czech Republic.
• Extraterrestrial effects on atmospheric circulation in mid and high latitudes.
• Effect of climate variability and meteorological extremes on the production of selected crops between 1801 and 2007.

2007

• Meteorological causes and human mortality impacts of extreme hot weather in summer: a comparative study.
• Effects of short-term and long-term variability of weather on mortality.

2006

• Central and Eastern Europe Climate Change Impacts and Vulnerability Assessment (CECILIA).
• Climate change impacts on the crop growth and development of selected crops.

Department of Space Physics

This department is Space Plasma Group, which was founded in 1998 as the Department of Space Physics of the Institute of Atmospheric Physics. Primary investigations of this department are space plasma process which occur in solar-terrestrial interactions. Simulated and experimental data are applied in these studies.

Other departments

There are also several other departments, along with five observatories and one detached unit. Notable work from these areas will also be included.

Organizational structure

The IAP has a Director, Deputy Director, and Scientific Secretary which comprises the institute's Management. The Scientific and professional section is divided into six departments, two of which have been discussed above. Each department has its own department head. The administration is made up of the administrative head, librarian, and Secretary to the Director. There is also a board which lists internal and external seated members. In addition, there is a supervisory board with six members, one of whom functions as secretary.