News

Students from 38 schools are entering an ever-widening community of competitors and alumni involved in the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Solar District Cup Collegiate Design Competition. In its sixth year, the Solar District Cup continues to challenge students to design and model solar and solar-plus-storage systems for real mixed-use districts.

Atmospheric levels of 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

a potent greenhouse gas, regulate Earth’s climate. Most methane is produced in environments without oxygen through a process called methanogenesis.

Methanogenesis

An anaerobic respiration that generates methane as the final product of metabolism.

Source: National Library of Medicine Source

Methanogenic microorganisms therefore play a critical role in the global carbon cycle.

carbon cycle

The movement and exchange of carbon through living organisms, the ocean, the atmosphere, rocks and minerals, and other parts of the Earth.

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

A multi-country, government-led initiative dedicated to advancing the global transition to a sustainable, bio-based economy, unveiled a new Global Biomass

biomass

Material that comes from living things, including trees, crops, grasses, and animals and animal waste. Some kinds of biomass, such as wood and biofuels, can be burned to produce energy.

Source: EPA Global Climate Change Source

Resource Assessment, providing groundbreaking data on current and future sustainable biomass supplies around the world.

With help from scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) national laboratories, the DOE’s Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) user facility has established a cutting-edge atmospheric observatory in Alabama’s William Bankhead National Forest. The Bankhead National Forest (BNF) observatory officially opened for operation on Oct. 1.

A deep dive into the hydrodynamics of meandering rivers. This research explores how the sinuosity, or bends, in rivers can influence the mixing of river water and groundwater

groundwater

Water that occurs below Earth's surface. When rain falls to the ground, a portion percolates (sinks) into the ground and collects in spaces in the underground rocks.

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

in shallow riverbed sediments and in turn affect water quality.

Through world-class training and access to state-of-the-art facilities, expertise, and resources at DOE national laboratories, SCGSR prepares doctoral candidates to enter jobs of critical importance to the DOE mission and secure the nation’s status at the forefront of discovery and innovation.

Data-gathering instruments will be positioned on commercial, ocean-going ships in a Department of Energy-funded project expected to improve understanding of marine atmosphere and aerosol-cloud interactions.

aerosol-cloud interaction

The interaction of airborne particles (aerosols) with clouds. Scientists study how aerosols affect clouds and how these interactions can impact the Earth's climate.

Source: DOE Source

Using commercial ships as observational platforms could significantly enhance understanding of Earth’s climate system.

This summer, the Jupiter Laser Facility (JLF) hosted interns as part of the Reaching a New Science Energy Workforce (RENEW) program — a Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science initiative aimed at developing a strong, diverse workforce pipeline through partnerships with minority serving institutions.

minority Serving Institution (MSI)

A term used to describe colleges and universities that primarily enroll and serve minority populations. These groups can include African Americans, Hispanics, American Indians, Alaska Natives, Native Hawaiians, and Asian Americans.

Source: U.S. Department of the Interior Source

At the University of California, Los Angeles, Fiaz Ahmed leads a team developing an ambitious new tool for understanding storm clouds. His chief investigations involve the hard-to-model processes of deep convection.

convection

The rising of warm air and the sinking of cool air. Convection can cause local breezes, winds, and thunderstorms.

Source: NASA earth observatory Source

This kind of storm activity occurs when moist parcels of turbulent warm air move from the lower to the upper atmosphere.

Photosynthesis is the process by which plants and algae convert sunlight and carbon dioxide

carbon dioxide (CO2)

An important heat-trapping gas, also known as a greenhouse gas, that comes from the extraction and burning of fossil fuels (such as coal, oil, and natural gas), from wildfires, and natural processes like volcanic eruptions.

Source: NASA Source

into oxygen and biomass. However, it is not fully understood how photosynthesis responds to changes in an organism’s environment and nutritional state.

A team of researchers supported by the Atmospheric System Research (ASR) program has made significant progress in understanding rain formation, with findings published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).

Hydraulic failure in tropical environments is expected to increase, according to new research published in New Phytologist. As weather patterns change and temperatures rise, plants will need to adapt in order to survive. Hydraulic failure occurs when more water is lost from transpiration than is taken in through the roots.