News

A first-ever dataset bridging molecular information about the poplar tree microbiome to ecosystem-level processes has been released by a team of Department of Energy scientists led by Oak Ridge National Laboratory. The project aims to inform research regarding how natural systems function, their vulnerability to a changing climate, and ultimately how plants might be engineered for better performance as sources of bioenergy

bioenergy

A renewable energy derived from biological sources, to be used for heat, electricity, or vehicle fuel.

Source: USDA Source

and natural carbon storage.

As part of an ongoing collaboration between Brookhaven Lab and Stony Brook University’s (SBU), Women in Science and Engineering (WISE) students spent two Saturdays at Brookhaven Lab completing hands-on activities with scientists from the Physics Department and the Nuclear Science and Technology Department. The students also engaged in conversations with scientists about the passions, triumphs, and difficulties that come with a career in STEM.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) supports modeling and research of extreme events. That was the focus of a town hall during the 2023 Fall Meeting of the American Geophysical Union (AGU). In the spotlight were advances in 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

spanning scales ranging from climate to weather and systems ranging from natural to multisectoral, socioeconomic,

socioeconomic

A way of describing groups based on their education, income, or job type. Socioeconomic status is usually described as low, medium, and high.

Source: National Cancer Institute Source

and built environments.

Columbia University associate research scientist and ASR researcher Kara Lamb's career path has taken fascinating turns, from literature and theoretical physics to atmospheric science. Lamb’s research these days is a 2022—2025 investigation of depositional ice growth in cirrus clouds

cirrus clouds

Detached clouds in the form of white, delicate filaments, mostly in patches or narrow bands. They may have a fibrous (hair-like) and/or silky sheen appearance.

Source: NOAA Source

funded by the Atmospheric System Research (ASR) program at the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE).

Climate scientists and nuclear science and engineering experts at the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory are joining forces to develop a plan B for nuclear power in Richland, Washington. Argonne scientists will use Gateway for Accelerated Innovation in Nuclear funding from the U.S. Department of Energy to work with Washington’s Energy Northwest on climate-ready nuclear reactor designs.

PNNL helps communities transition to clean energy and boost their energy resilience. Many communities are highly dependent on fossil fuels, like diesel for power, which is costly and carbon intensive. But shifting to renewable energy

renewable energy

Renewable energy comes from unlimited, naturally replenished resources, such as the sun, tides, and wind. Renewable energy can be used for electricity generation, space and water heating and cooling, and transportation.

Source: U.S Department of Energy Source

sources comes with high start-up costs and risks, so resource-limited communities, particularly those that are underserved, often need support to make the switch to cleaner local energy.

Combining field measurements and a rarely used laboratory technique provided novel insight into microbial processes that both create and dismantle methane

methane

A hydrocarbon that is a primary component of natural gas. Methane is also a greenhouse gas (GHG), so its presence in the atmosphere affects the earth’s temperature and climate system

Source: EPA Source

in soil. Methane is a potent greenhouse gas that is naturally produced by microbes

microbe

Microbes are tiny living things that are found all around us and are too small to be seen by the naked eye. They live in water, soil, and in the air.

Source: NIH Source

that live in damp soil. However, microbes can also eat methane, and in dry soil the combined action of many hungry microbes leads to a small, but measurable, decrease in atmospheric methane.

Hydropower

hydropower

One of the oldest and largest sources of renewable energy, which uses the natural flow of moving water to generate electricity

Source: U.S. Department of Energy Source

is a key source of renewable energy, but only about 3 percent of the existing dams in the United States generate electricity—the rest are non-powered dams (NPDs). While some NPDs are suitable for conversion to power-generating facilities, few have been retrofitted in the last 20 years due to the complexity and concerns about long-term return on investment.

Arctic atmospheric rivers

atmospheric river

Long, narrow regions in the atmosphere – like rivers in the sky – that transport most of the water vapor outside of the tropics.

Source: NOAA Source

(AR) which represent intrusions of warm and moist air into the Arctic, can effectively drive weather extremes and trigger subsequent impact on sea ice and climate. Given the continuous global warming and increased atmospheric moisture in the past four decades, researchers sought to understand how internal variabilities of the climate system and human activities contribute to an upward trend of ARs that differs in the Atlantic sector of the Arctic versus the Pacific sector.

As the nation lays the foundation for a robust hydrogen energy economy, widespread hydrogen storage will be necessary, much of it underground—including, possibly, in gas storage fields like salt caverns and aquifers that have been used for decades to store natural gas. To store hydrogen in those systems, researchers first need to understand and address any new challenges posed by storing hydrogen fuel

hydrogen fuel

A clean fuel that, when consumed in a fuel cell, produces only water. Hydrogen can be produced from a variety of domestic resources, such as natural gas, nuclear power, biomass, and renewable power like solar and wind.

Source: U.S Department of Energy Source

in these preexisting storage fields.

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) recently hosted its 7th annual Women in Data Science (WiDS) conference for data scientists, industry professionals, recent graduates and others interested in the field. As an independent satellite of the global WiDS conference celebrating International Women’s Day, the Livermore hybrid event was held to highlight the work and careers of LLNL and regional data-science professionals.

The Joint Institute for Strategic Energy Analysis (JISEA) has launched a new catalyzer—and it is changing the way you think about your food. Catalyzers are two- to three-year seed research projects that develop research capabilities and collaborative networks centered around emerging clean energy challenges. The Sustainable Agriculture Catalyzer explores decarbonization's impact on socioeconomics, resilience, and the environment in agriculture.