LLNL scientists among finalists for new Gordon Bell climate modeling award

A team from Lawrence Livermore and seven other Department of Energy (DOE) national laboratories is a finalist for the new Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) Gordon Bell Prize for Climate Modeling for running an unprecedented high-resolution global atmosphere model on the world’s first exascale supercomputer.

Changing Seasons: Jet Shift Causes Seasonally Dependent Future Changes in the Midwest Hydroclimate

A new study that aims to resolve uncertainty in projections of future changes in the U.S. Midwest rainy season projects that while future seasonal mean precipitation will not change significantly, late spring precipitation will increase and late summer rainfall will decrease. The study indicates these changes will be driven by the poleward shift in the North American westerly jet due to climate change. The results may mean an increased risk of late-spring deluges and late-summer droughts for the Midwest.

Sandia switches to hydrogen weather balloons

More than three years ago, the Sandia National Laboratories-operated atmospheric measurement facility in Alaska switched from launching helium-filled weather balloons to launching weather balloons filled with hydrogen produced on-site. By switching the gas used in their weather balloons, it has reduced its metaphorical footprint on the fragile Arctic ecosystem. Since then, the site has launched nearly 5,000 hydrogen balloons with minimal issues.

Scientists Map Changes in Soot Particles Emitted from Wildfires

We need a better understanding of the particles emitted by wildfires, including how they evolve, so we can improve our predictions of their impacts on climate, climate change, and human health. Atmospheric scientists at Brookhaven National Laboratory and collaborating institutions recently published a study that suggests the global climate models aren’t getting the full picture. Their data could change that.

Ogo Enekwizu Brings Soot-seeded Clouds into the Laboratory

Tiny particles in Earth’s atmosphere can have a big impact on climate. But understanding exactly how these aerosol particles form cloud drops and affect the absorption and scattering of sunlight is one of the biggest sources of uncertainty in climate models. Ogochukwu (Ogo) Enekwizu is trying to tame that complexity by creating soot-seeded aerosol particles in a lab.

Elegantly Modeling Earth’s Abrupt Glacial Transitions

Milutin Milankovitch hypothesized that the timing of glacial transitions has been controlled by the orbital parameters of the Earth, which suggests that there may be some predictability in the climate, a notoriously complex system. In Chaos, Stefano Pierini proposes a new paradigm to simplify the verification of the Milankovitch hypothesis. Pierini’s “deterministic excitation paradigm” combines the physics concepts of relaxation oscillation and excitability to link Earth’s orbital parameters and the glacial cycles in a more generic way.

Study finds sinking tundra surface unlikely to trigger runaway permafrost thaw

Oak Ridge National Laboratory scientists set out to address one of the biggest uncertainties about how carbon-rich permafrost will respond to gradual sinking of the land surface as temperatures rise. Using a high-performance computer simulation, the research team found that soil subsidence is unlikely to cause rampant thawing in the future.

Studying ship tracks to inform climate intervention decision-makers

Scientists from Sandia National Laboratories are studying ship tracks — clouds that reflect sunlight and are formed by moving ships, similar to contrails from planes — to help inform decision-makers of the benefits and risks of one technology being considered to slow climate change.

Scientists find iron cycling key to permafrost greenhouse gas emissions

The interaction of elemental iron with the vast stores of carbon locked away in Arctic soils is key to how greenhouse gases are emitted during thawing and should be included in models used to predict Earth’s climate, Oak Ridge National Laboratory scientists found.

Novel atlas shows vast urban infrastructure divide between Global South and Global North

New data from an international research team adds another dimension – literally – to understanding the economic and environmental impacts of how cities are built. Using satellite mapping, researchers measured the height of built-up infrastructure in urban areas across the globe, which could improve projections of energy use and emissions and inform city planning and economic development efforts, including progression toward the United Nations sustainable development goals.

FAU Experts for the 2022 Hurricane Season

With the 2022 Atlantic hurricane season forecast to be above average activity with a higher probability of major hurricanes making landfall along the continental U.S. coastline, several FAU faculty experts are available to discuss various issues surrounding hurricane preparedness, evacuation and aftermath.

ORNL brings big science to address the climate challenge

Tackling the climate crisis and achieving an equitable clean energy future are among the biggest challenges of our time. Oak Ridge National Laboratory, the largest Department of Energy science and energy laboratory in the country, is deeply invested in the big science capabilities and expertise needed to address the climate challenge on multiple fronts.

ORNL expertise supports latest IPCC report and efforts to understand, address climate change

Improved data, models and analyses from Oak Ridge National Laboratory scientists and many other researchers in the latest global climate assessment report provide new levels of certainty about what the future holds for the planet and highlight the urgency of decarbonization to avoid the most severe impacts.

For Better Predictions, Researchers Evaluate Tropical Cyclone Simulation in the Energy Exascale Earth System Model

Infrastructure planning requires accurately predicting how tropical cyclones respond to environmental changes. To make those predictions, researchers use Earth system models. In this research, scientists analyzed tropical cyclones simulated by the Department of Energy’s Energy Exascale Earth System Model (E3SM). They found that high resolution is critical to simulating tropical cyclones and their interactions with the ocean.

Tiny raindrops pose big challenges: Argonne researchers improve climate models, prediction of climate change

Drizzle in marine clouds is a key parameter for achieving more accurate climate predictions. Argonne developed novel techniques to retrieve drizzle properties and will expand its research to the aerosol impact on clouds and precipitation.

Explosive Origins of ‘Secondary’ Ice—and Snow

Where does snow come from? This may seem like a simple question to ponder as half the planet emerges from a season of watching whimsical flakes fall from the sky–and shoveling them from driveways. But a new study on how water becomes ice in slightly supercooled Arctic clouds may make you rethink the simplicity of the fluffy stuff. It describes definitive, real-world evidence for “freezing fragmentation” of drizzle as a major source of ice in slightly supercooled clouds. The findings have important implications for forecasting weather and climate.

Story tips: Urban climate impacts, materials’ dual approach and healing power

ORNL identifies a statistical relationship between the growth of cities and the spread of paved surfaces. // ORNL successfully demonstrates a technique to heal dendrites that formed in a solid electrolyte. // ORNL combines additive manufacturing with conventional compression molding.

Argonne National Laboratory climate model helps Pacific Gas and Electric Company combat climate change impacts, including wildfires

Scientists at Argonne developed a climate model that projects future conditions at neighborhood-level scale across the entire United States to help PG&E plan for extreme weather events in California.

Eight ways Argonne advanced science in 2020

Throughout 2020, Argonne answered fundamental science questions and provided solutions for the world.