http://www.pnl.gov/science/ Fundamental & Computational Sciences Directorate en-us http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss kathryn.lang@pnl.gov christine.novak@pnl.gov http://www.pnl.gov/science/highlights/highlight.asp?id=1116Results: Some of us look at clouds and see animal shapes. Scientists are looking beyond. For the first time, a team of scientists led by Pacific Northwest National Laboratory used actual measurements of clouds and the atmosphere in the polluted skies over southeast China to evaluate an oft-used climate model. They wanted to see how well the model describes the effect of tiny particles from pollution on clouds, and how those clouds influence precipitation. They found that the fast, affordable cloud microphysical calculations under-predict the precipitation they know from observations and from detailed but expensive calculations. ]]>Fri, 10 Feb 2012 00:00:00 PSThttp://www.pnl.gov/science/highlights/highlight.asp?id=1113Results: Scientists at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Oak Ridge National Laboratory found ways to improve the capabilities of a land model within global and regional Earth system models to estimate water runoff. Accurate runoff predictions can lead to better information for managing sustainable water for personal and industrial consumption. As it was tested, the original model produced runoff variations that are not realistic when compared to observations. The team identified several methods to improve the simulations, mainly by improving how the below-surface runoff is estimated. ]]>Mon, 06 Feb 2012 00:00:00 PSThttp://www.pnl.gov/science/highlights/highlight.asp?id=1114Results: In the past decade, microbiologists began realizing that communities of microbes process energy and materials, which affects their environments. To understand how microbial communities function in a natural ecosystem, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory scientists developed a novel kinetic model that represents microbial community dynamics in soil pores. ]]>Mon, 06 Feb 2012 00:00:00 PSThttp://www.pnl.gov/science/highlights/highlight.asp?id=1115Results: Whether it protects space satellites or sequesters nuclear waste, scientists want to understand tiny features that could significantly alter how a material behaves. Locating microscopic defects can be done with powerful microscopes, but scientists want more. They want to use the microscopes to locate and understand the very molecules involved in the defects. Describing the location of the molecules and atoms in images often relies on statistics that can be inaccurate and expensive. The trick is to pick the statistical approach that accurately and economically describes the situation. Pick the wrong one, and the mathematical description won't match the microscope's image. ]]>Mon, 06 Feb 2012 00:00:00 PSThttp://www.pnl.gov/science/highlights/highlight.asp?id=1112Results: To steer an energy technology change you must understand the factors that can drive such a change. Scientists from Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and the University of Maryland, working at the Joint Global Change Research Institute, found that domestic policy decisions and characteristics of the technology itself are the dominant factors in large-scale energy transitions. The researchers looked at past technology revolutions in biomass and nuclear energy systems in three countries. They found that public policies and regulations were powerful motivators to accelerate development and adoption of new technologies. ]]>Thu, 02 Feb 2012 00:00:00 PSThttp://www.pnl.gov/science/highlights/highlight.asp?id=1111Wed, 01 Feb 2012 00:00:00 PSThttp://www.pnl.gov/science/highlights/highlight.asp?id=1109Results: While retaining their speed, catalysts have lost some of their secrets, thanks to a new probe built by scientists at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory to help clarify the steps catalysts take in promoting reactions. The new device is called a large-sample-volume constant-flow magic angle spinning probe for use in a nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectrometer.  With it, scientists can flow a gaseous reaction mixture through a solid catalyst and collect NMR data on the intermediates and products generated during the reaction.  In addition, using NMR can provide structural information about the catalyst itself during the reaction. ]]>Fri, 27 Jan 2012 00:00:00 PSThttp://www.pnl.gov/science/highlights/highlight.asp?id=1108Results: The analysis is the first time researchers have accurately quantified the molecular-scale interactions between the gases—either hydrogen or methane, aka natural gas—and the water molecules that form cages around them. A team of researchers from Pacific Northwest National Laboratory published the results in Chemical Physics Letters, online December 22, 2011 and due to be published in print in 2012. ]]>Thu, 26 Jan 2012 00:00:00 PSThttp://www.pnl.gov/science/highlights/highlight.asp?id=1106Dr. Wendy Shaw of Pacific Northwest National Laboratory on being one of 31 distinguished young researchers from the United States selected by the National Academy of Sciences to attend the first Indonesian-American Frontiers of Science symposium that took place in Bogor, Indonesia, in July 2011. The U.S. participants, representing universities, government laboratories, and institutions, joined 40 young Indonesian researchers selected by the Indonesian Academy of Sciences. ]]>Wed, 25 Jan 2012 00:00:00 PSThttp://www.pnl.gov/science/highlights/highlight.asp?id=1107Results: For most people, clouds are just an indication of whether it's a "good" or "bad" day. A team of scientists from Pacific Northwest National Laboratory found that certain clouds hold the key to climate behavior prediction. The researchers improved the modeling system to simulate the way clouds interact with particles in the air. The team assessed the state-of-the-art model's ability to simulate clouds and their interaction with fine particles in the air and pollution. ]]>Wed, 25 Jan 2012 00:00:00 PST