http://www.pnnl.gov/science/ Fundamental and Computational Sciences Directorate en-us http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss suraiya.farukhi@pnnl.gov christine.sharp@pnnl.gov http://www.pnnl.gov/science/highlights/highlight.asp?id=1375Results: Their fluffy appearance is deceiving. Fair-weather clouds have a darker side, according to scientists at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. Fair-weather cumulus clouds contain an increasing amount of droplets formed around pollution particles. The new simulations, using data collected over Oklahoma, show how pollution from Oklahoma City increased the number of cloud droplets and reduced their size, affecting their sunlight absorbing, light scattering and cloud-seeding performance. ]]>Thu, 25 Apr 2013 00:00:00 PSThttp://www.pnnl.gov/science/highlights/highlight.asp?id=1374Results: On the atmospheric stage, aerosols are bit players. Identifying each one and their role as change agents was the goal of researchers from Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Colorado State University and the California Air Resources Board. For the first time, the researchers identified individual types of particles and their relative contribution to influence seasonal warming and cooling effects at the top of the atmosphere over California. Overall, carbon particles contributed up to 95 percent of the total warming throughout the seasons. ]]>Fri, 19 Apr 2013 00:00:00 PSThttp://www.pnnl.gov/science/highlights/highlight.asp?id=1373Results: It's easy to visualize particles and gases from vehicle exhaust or burning trash wafting into the atmosphere. It's harder to envision similar gases and minute particles emitted from trees and plants in the forest. What these two have in common is carbon. According to a multi-institutional team of scientists led by Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, when polluted city emissions travel miles away, they eventually mix with forest emissions. The result is the addition of new carbon-containing particles which scientists call secondary organic aerosols. These atmospheric particles can have a large impact air quality, visibility, human health and ultimately, the climate. ]]>Tue, 16 Apr 2013 00:00:00 PSThttp://www.pnnl.gov/science/highlights/highlight.asp?id=1366the stories of these, and many more, women in STEM can inspire others as they think about the future. Only 24% of the STEM workforce is female, an alarming gap as over 51% of the workforce overall is female." ]]>Thu, 11 Apr 2013 00:00:00 PSThttp://www.pnnl.gov/science/highlights/highlight.asp?id=1362Results: Not all precipitation is created equal. Using a unique uncertainty quantification (UQ) technique, scientists at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, and Nanjing University calibrated the ratio between showery and stormy rain for simulations in a popular atmospheric model. Although current model results depict total precipitation fairly well, the details of precipitation type or origin does not compare well to real-life observations. The team, led by PNNL's Dr. Yun Qian, tested the sensitivity of precipitation and atmospheric circulation to several key variables used in the model. The new model results matched observations in both cases. ]]>Fri, 05 Apr 2013 00:00:00 PSThttp://www.pnnl.gov/science/highlights/highlight.asp?id=1363Results: While it is important to understand how the Earth system works from a process-level basis, it is clear that human activities are increasingly challenging assumptions about how that system works. Factor in climate change, and it is quickly apparent: one size certainly does not fit all. In their paper, "The Regional Nature of Global Challenges: A Need and Strategy for Integrated Regional Modeling," authors Dr. Kathy Hibbard and Dr. Anthony Janetos of Pacific Northwest National Laboratory make the case for integrated regional-scale analyses, where they discuss how regional dynamic interactions between human and natural systems provide insight into mitigation and adaptation strategies, their tradeoffs and consequences, and how these influence the global Earth system. ]]>Fri, 05 Apr 2013 00:00:00 PSThttp://www.pnnl.gov/science/highlights/highlight.asp?id=1358Results: A cloud's class and status matters to the climate. That's what researchers at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory found when they separated tropical clouds into seven categories. Clouds with low bases are more influential than high clouds because the low-base clouds have a greater effect on the amount of solar energy that reaches the ground. They also compared the clouds' effects on the tropical energy balance using data collected from ten years of ground-based observations at U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) sponsored locations in the tropical western Pacific region. Their findings show that cloud type is more important than previous satellite-based studies suggest. ]]>Thu, 28 Mar 2013 00:00:00 PSThttp://www.pnnl.gov/science/highlights/highlight.asp?id=1336Results: Generating electricity using new low-emissions technologies is not likely to increase water demand through the end of the century, according to new research at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and the University of Alberta. To find how the choice of technologies to generate electrical power may impact the global and regional economy, water use and emissions, the researchers turned to an integrated model of human and earth systems to understand future costs and decisions. Even with the higher costs associated with cooling methods other than water they found that low-emission technologies can be a viable choice for power generation. ]]>Mon, 25 Mar 2013 00:00:00 PSThttp://www.pnnl.gov/science/highlights/highlight.asp?id=1332Results: A new river-routing model improves computer simulations of the magnitude and timing of water flow through the landscape and into the ocean, thanks to the work of a research team led by Dr. Ruby Leung at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. Designed to work in tandem with land and Earth systems models, this new tool is better at simulating water flow at different scales than some widely used large-scale routing models. The model also can simulate river dynamics, including variations in depth and the velocity of river flow. ]]>Mon, 18 Mar 2013 00:00:00 PSThttp://www.pnnl.gov/science/highlights/highlight.asp?id=1331James J. Dooley, researcher at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, was invited to serve on the Technical Program Committee for the 12th International Conference on Greenhouse Gas Control Technologies (GHGT-12). GHGT-12 is the premier international technical conference in the field of carbon dioxide capture and storage (CCS). ]]>Thu, 14 Mar 2013 00:00:00 PST