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Atmospheric, Earth, and Energy
Predicting wind-driven spatial patterns of atmospheric pollutants
For centuries, scientists have observed nature to understand the laws that govern the physical world. Despite the slow, traditional process associated with turning observations into physical understanding, powerful new algorithms can enable computers to learn physics by observing images and videos. LLNL researchers are working to leverage this concept to predict spatial…
Quantifying human contribution to terrestrial drying
Historical drying trends have been demonstrated to occur over the lands surface, mostly in the subtropics and midlatitudes. Such drying trends are also widely projected to continue during the twenty-first century, especially under high greenhouse gas emission pathways. The causes of terrestrial drying can be understood in terms of the effects of natural climate variability…
LLNL chemists double down with breakthrough method to study radioactive materials
Studying radioactive materials is notoriously difficult due to their radiation-induced toxicity and risk of contamination when handling. The cost of the radioactive isotopes used in research also is a major barrier, with some costing more than $10,000 per microgram. Certain radioisotopes also cannot be produced in sufficient quantity so it is simply impossible for…
Environmental DNA uncovers a 2-million-year-old ecosystem in Greenland
Around 2 million years ago, climate in Greenland resembled the forecast of a future under global warming: with trees such as poplars and birch and animals like hare, lemmings, mastodons and reindeer. Paleoclimatic records show strong polar amplification with annual temperatures of 11–19 degrees Celsius above current values. The biological communities inhabiting the Arctic…
New analysis helps reconcile differences between satellites and climate models
Satellite observations and computer simulations are important tools for understanding past changes in Earth’s climate and for projecting future changes. However, satellite observations consistently show less warming than climate model simulations from 1979 to the present, especially in the tropical troposphere (the lowest ~15km of Earth’s atmosphere). This difference has…
2022 Gulbenkian Prize for Humanity jointly awarded to the IPCC
The United Nations (UN) Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) was jointly awarded the Gulbenkian Prize for Humanity, alongside the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES). The prize jury distinguished the two intergovernmental organizations for their role in developing scientific knowledge, alerting society and…
Sheltering Science Saves Lives
Lawrence Livermore researchers have worked for more than a decade to provide insights for a multifaceted emergency response, and in the process, they have advanced the science of sheltering and developed computer models to identify potentially life-saving strategies.
Meet experimental scientist Gaby Davila Ordonez
Gaby Davila Ordonez has always had a knack in learning new things, contributing to make a difference and helping others succeed. Originally from Venezuela, Davila Ordonez, grew up with three sisters in a family who cultivated coffee in a small town in the state of Mérida called La Azulita.
LLNL and Korea Institute of Science and Technology to collaborate
Leaders at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) and the Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST) signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on Monday to collaborate on basic science and technology in the renewable energy, climate science, data science and characterizations arenas. Under the MOU, KIST will have office space in the Livermore Open Campus…
Going deep: New ground motion model more accurately simulates earthquakes, explosions
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) scientists have created a new adjoint waveform tomography model that more accurately simulates earthquake and explosion ground motions. The paper, published in the Journal of Geophysical Research, was selected for an Editor’s Highlight. Seismic tomography is a method to estimate the inaccessible three-dimensional (3D) seismic…
LLNL partners with city of Livermore to reduce carbon emissions
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the city of Livermore to collaborate on advancing climate action in Livermore and build community-wide resilience to climate change impacts. The city’s Climate Action Plan (CAP), anticipated to be adopted by the Livermore City Council this summer, will create a roadmap to…
The Simple Cloud-Resolving E3SM Atmosphere Model (SCREAM)
Numerical models are a critical tool for predicting Earth’s future climate conditions due to the complex and inter-related processes controlling weather. While simulating the whole planet imposes severe computational challenges, global coverage is nonetheless necessary as local behavior propagates rapidly to distant areas of the globe. To solve these challenges, Peter…
Speeding up detection of climate change response to emission reductions
If humans decrease their greenhouse gas emissions to the atmosphere, how quickly would we detect a slowdown in global warming? In a recent study published in Nature Communications, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) climate scientist Mark Zelinka and collaborators developed a novel approach to more quickly see the temperature response to strong emissions…
Americans move to more solar and wind power in 2021
The national economy is reenergizing, quite literally. In 2021, Americans used 5% more energy than in 2020, according to the most recent energy flow charts released by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL). Each year, LLNL releases flow charts that illustrate the nation's consumption and use of energy. In 2021, Americans used 97.3 quads (quadrillion BTU) of energy,…
Science on Saturday lectures break down the CO<sub>2</sub> problem
Throughout the month of February, scientists from the Physical and Life Sciences (PLS) directorate virtually participated in three of the four 2022 Science on Saturday (SOS) lectures, presenting on the theme “Energy and the Environment.” The SOS lecture series is an annual collaboration between scientists at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) and staff members…
GEOSX Simulates Carbon Dioxide Storage
Since the Industrial Revolution, atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) levels have continued to rise. While oceans, plants, and soils can sequester some of this CO2 naturally, they cannot capture and remove it all, causing the excess to make its way into the atmosphere. Long-term storage solutions are needed to address the surplus—a contributor to climate change—and help the…
Lawrence Livermore shares recommendations for Microsoft to reach carbon-negative goal
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) scientists have provided input on Microsoft’s pathway to become carbon-negative by 2030. LLNL researchers built on their pivotal report "Getting to Neutral: Options for Negative Carbon Emissions in California," which has become a trusted adviser in the discussion of how to remove carbon dioxide from the air, to make…
The Path to a Carbon Neutral California
A Livermore report outlines a strategy to reduce California’s carbon emissions to net zero by 2045.
Livermore Lab Foundation, Lawrence Livermore National Lab launch carbon education and outreach program
Helping the general public and students learn about carbon neutrality, the options for carbon dioxide removal, as well as the effects of climate change, is the focus of the Carbon Cleanup Initiative, a unique public awareness partnership from the Livermore Lab Foundation (LLF) and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL). “We are proud to partner with the scientists…
Human-caused climate change increases wildfire activity
The western United States has experienced a rapid increase of fire weather as the vapor pressure deficit (VPD) increases in the area during the warm season. New research by scientists at University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) shows that two-thirds (approximately 68 percent) of the increase in VPD is due to human…
