PNNL chemical engineer Mariefel Olarte shares passion for mentoring students and the next-generation workforce.

Seawater threatens to intrude into coastal freshwater aquifers that millions of people depend on for drinking water and irrigation. This study investigates sea-level rise impacts on the global coastal groundwater table.

Several Earth system components are at a high risk of undergoing rapid, irreversible qualitative changes or ‘tipping’ with increasing climate warming.

A recent paper published in Science sheds light on how aerosols—tiny particles in the air—released by industrial activities can trigger downstream snowfall events.

The demand for energy is growing—and so is the technology supporting it. However, future development of power generation technologies could be affected by a key factor: material supply.

Through a detailed examination of historical data supported by mechanistic analysis and model experiments, researchers unveil that a large-scale climate system intensifies heat extremes and wildfire risks in the PNW.

This study shows that dry dynamics alone is not enough to understand jet stream persistence. Instead, clouds and precipitation are more important contributors than internal “dry” mechanisms to this memory of the Southern Hemisphere jet.

The research presented in this article enhances the ability to predict and prepare for compound flood events along the U.S. coastline.

Francesca Pierobon holds a joint appointment with UW and WSU to advance low-carbon technologies.

This study provides a comprehensive analysis of isolated deep convection & mesoscale convective systems using self-organizing maps to categorize large-scale meteorological patterns and a tracking algorithm to monitor their life cycle.

This study explored the future effects of climate change and low-carbon energy transition (i.e., emission reduction) on Arctic offshore oil and gas production.

Hydropower could expand substantially during the 21st century in many regions of the world to meet rising or changing energy demands. However, this expansion might harm river ecosystems.

Using numerical simulations to reproduce the laboratory experiments, this study reveals that liquid droplets are present near the bottom surface, which warms and moistens the air in the chamber.

The first tidal turbine deployed in the Pacific Northwest at PNNL-Sequim showcases the Lab’s growing role as a regional center for marine energy research.

Skillful predictions of tropical cyclone activity on subseasonal time scales may help mitigate their destructive impacts. This study investigates the combined impacts of atmospheric phenomena to better understand cyclone activity.

Topographic variations have substantial impacts on surface hydrologic processes. This study introduced a new subgrid structure and methods to increase model accuracy for snow water equivalent predictions.

The 2024 State of the Science Report on environmental effects of marine renewable energy research has been released.

The Delaware River Basin is projected to experience a regional increase in flood severity under future climate scenarios.

The results of this study reveal that the degree of Arctic amplification, despite being controlled by complicated interactions among multiple factors, can be analytically understood.

Researchers found that in a future where the Great Plains are 4 to 6 degrees Celsius (°C) warmer as projected in a high-emission scenario, these storms could bring three times more intense rainfall.