News

Arctic Amplification

arctic amplification

The amplified surface warming in the Arctic relative to the global mean.

Source: Pacific Northwest National Laboratory Source

(AA) is a robust feature of climate change.

climate change

A change in the average conditions — such as temperature and rainfall — in a region over a long period of time.

Source: NASA Climate Kids Source

However, there is a considerable spread in the reported magnitude of AA. While earlier observations and model simulations suggested that the Arctic has been warming at a rate two to three times that of the globe, recent studies reported an alarming amplification factor of four since 1979.

Invasive red seaweed species that reach Long Island’s waterways all the way from the western Pacific Ocean threaten local ecosystems;

ecosystem

A natural community of plants, animals, and other living organisms and the physical environment in which they live and interact.

Source: A student's guide to Global Climate Change Source

they outcompete native species for habitats and have the potential to cause harmful algal blooms that are toxic to marine life. But what if these disruptive seaweeds could be repurposed in a way that benefits the environment?

The impact of aerosol–cloud interactions (ACIs) on the Earth’s radiative budget is among the most uncertain aspects of climate prediction. Earth system models

earth system model (ESM)

A model that simulates how chemistry, biology, and physical forces work together. These models are similar to, but much more comprehensive than, global climate models.

Source: U.S. Department of Energy Source

estimate the contribution of ACIs to Earth’s energy budget in different climate forcing scenarios. Efforts to constrain model estimates with available observations have proven challenging.

Marine Energy Research Engineer Remembers the Moment Her Holiday Frustration Turned Into A Clean-Powered-Inspiration. When Tina Ortega was a senior in high school, her physics teacher assigned her class a nine-page essay the day before Thanksgiving break started. The due date? The day before classes resumed.

Just how much heat does city sprawl add to large-scale warming? That’s one longstanding question researchers sought to answer in a new study recently published in the journal One Earth. Once thought to cover too little of the Earth’s surface to affect climate at larger scales, new research shows urbanization

urbanization

Concentrations of human populations into discrete areas. This concentration leads to the transformation of land for residential, commercial, industrial and transportation purposes.

Source: EPA Environmental Protection Agency Source

has a detectable impact on global warming over land, which may increase as cities grow.

Farragut High School graduate Channing Tan has been named recipient of the 2024 UT-Battelle Scholarship to attend the University of Tennessee. The competitive scholarship is awarded annually to a graduating senior planning to study science, mathematics or engineering at UT and who has a parent employed by UT-Battelle, managing contractor of the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

The Argonne in Chicago South Side STEM Opportunity Landscape Project was awarded the Societal Impact Award by the Chicago Council on Science and Technology (C2ST) for its commitment to advancing equity and opportunity in STEM education and careers across underserved communities.

The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory and University Mohammed VI Polytechnic (UM6P) have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to collaborate on key areas of mutual interest related to green energy technology and the nexus of water and energy.

Atmospheric aerosol

aerosols

Small particles or droplets, such as wildfire smoke, volcanic gases, or salty sea spray, that float in the air. They are emitted by both natural events and human activities.

Source: NASA Global Climate Change Source

particles act as a key modulator of Earth’s climate. New particle formation (NPF) from condensable gas molecules is the fundamental source of most atmospheric particles. The subsequent growth of these particles is thought to contribute approximately half of the global number of cloud condensation nuclei

cloud condensation nuclei

Tiny airborne particles suspended in the atmosphere that serve as the seeds around which cloud droplets form.

Source: Source

(CCN), substantially affecting cloud properties and Earth’s radiative balance.

radiative balance

Radiation Balance is the energy balance between incoming energy from the Sun and outgoing energy from the Earth.

Source: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Source

To prepare more graduate students for careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science Graduate Student Research (SCGSR) program provides awards to outstanding U.S. graduate students, allowing them to conduct part of their thesis research at DOE laboratories.

When the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory science mission takes staff off-campus, the lab’s safety principles follow. That’s true even in the high mountain passes of Washington and Oregon, where ORNL scientists are tracking a tree species — and where wildfires have become more frequent and widespread.

With its third year now in the books, the Argonne Leadership Computing Facility’s ​“Intro to AI-Driven Science on Supercomputers” series has hosted over 600 attendees from across the nation. As artificial intelligence

artificial intelligence

A machine-based system that can, for a given set of human-defined objectives, make predictions, recommendations or decisions influencing real or virtual environments.

Source: U.S. Department of State Source

(AI) continues to permeate many aspects of our everyday lives, building an AI-ready workforce has become a national priority.