PNNL: Atmospheric Sciences & Global Change

Warmer Climate Brings Stronger Spring Storms to U.S.

Simulations show North Pacific and North Atlantic subtropical high-pressure systems are enhanced more during spring than summer under future warming, with great implications for regional precipitation patterns.
Disentangling the Ocean-Atmosphere Interactions in the North Atlantic

This study shows that surface heat fluxes act to damp the variability of ocean-driven sea surface temperature. This implies that the strength of surface coupling in global climate models might be one of the reasons why many Earth system models simulate weaker Atlantic Multidecadal Variability compared to observations.
New Aerosol Modeling Approach Takes Cues from Lab Experiments

PNNL researchers are unraveling the complex evolution of secondary organic aerosols and their effect on climate. Studying isoprene in lab experiments, they developed a consistent way to represent dynamic SOA chemistry in three-dimensional chemical transport models.
Susannah Burrows Honored with Brodzinski Early Career Exceptional Achievement Award

Dr. Susannah Burrows, an atmospheric scientist at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, recently received a 2018 Ronald L. Brodzinski Early Career Exceptional Achievement Award. Burrows was recognized for her leadership in improving the understanding of connections between biological systems on land and ocean and their chemistry, and physical climate processes in the atmosphere. The Brodzinski award is named after a former PNNL Laboratory Fellow and nuclear physicist to honor his passion for mentoring early career staff.
Linking Local and National Government for Global Mitigation

Less-developed countries may lack what is needed to implement their energy efficiency goals. Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and the University of Maryland performed case studies in six cites on different continents to identify barriers to building energy code implementation and assess how they can be mitigated.

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How do human activities and natural systems interact to affect the Earth's climate? Ultimately, that is the question challenging scientists in PNNL’s Atmospheric Sciences & Global Change Division.

Read more about our organization. [+ expand/ - collapse]

The Atmospheric Sciences & Global Change division at PNNL is a diverse and multi-disciplinary organization that supports a key focus of the U.S. Department of Energy: Advance the predictive understanding of the Earth's climate and environmental systems. Nearly all energy-related systems interact with the atmosphere and more broadly with the Earth's climate system. Our research on atmospheric processes and the interconnections among energy, climate, and other human and natural systems is critical to inform sustainable solutions to the Nation's energy and environmental challenges.

Within the integrated Earth system science paradigm, our major research thrusts include the physics and chemistry of aerosols, clouds and precipitation; integrating our understanding of climate, energy, and other human and natural systems through the development and application of models that span a wide range of spatial scales; and determining the impacts of and informing responses to climate and other global and regional environmental changes. We provide leadership and expertise to major programs within the Department of Energy's Office of Science, Biological and Environmental Research program, including the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Climate Research Facility, the Atmospheric System Research program, and DOE's climate modeling programs. We also conduct research, often working in collaboration with scientists and engineers across PNNL and around the world, on related topics such as the renewable energy, complex regional meteorology and chemistry, and the possible national security implications of climate change.

In addition to leading and participating in a broad range of research activities, staff from the Atmospheric Sciences & Global Change division hold leadership positions in a number of scientific societies and journals and contribute their expertise to a broad range of national and international reports and assessments from organizations such as the National Research Council of the National Academy of Sciences, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), and the U.S. National Climate Assessment.

I invite you to explore these pages, learn about the innovative research by our scientists and engineers, and connect with our staff to learn more about how we can work together to better understand the integrated Earth system.

Dr. Ian Kraucunas

Director, Atmospheric Sciences & Global Change Division

Warmer Climate Brings Stronger Spring Storms to U.S.

Disentangling the Ocean-Atmosphere Interactions in the North Atlantic

New Aerosol Modeling Approach Takes Cues from Lab Experiments

Susannah Burrows Honored with Brodzinski Early Career Exceptional Achievement Award

Linking Local and National Government for Global Mitigation

Atmospheric Sciences & Global Change

Science at PNNL