PNNL

Congratulations to researcher Meredydd Evans and her team at PNNL's Joint Global Change Research Institute (JGCRI), including Nazar Kholod and Sha Yu. They contributed the methods and project skills that earned an Office of International and Tribal Affairs (OITA) Award for the Environmental Protection Agency's project on black carbon.

The OITA award for managing critical environmental work on reducing impacts from diesel black carbon in the Russian Arctic was given to EPA's Teresa Kuklinski for work with Russia and international partners on a black carbon (a.k.a. soot) study in the Russian Arctic. Their objective was to gather data and recommend steps to reduce black carbon emissions in that region.

Kuklinski acknowledged the contributions of Evans and her team for providing a focus on and balance between scientific methods and a results-oriented approach. She also commended the PNNL team's communication and research skills and knowledge of the Russian language, local culture, and people.

"We especially laud the PNNL team for their inclusive and appropriately adapted methodology," said Kuklinski, the ‎International Environmental Programs Specialist at EPA. "And, for being all-around caring people!"

The EPA was tasked with looking at diesel sources of black carbon in the Russian Arctic through the Obama Administration's Arctic Black Carbon Initiative, funded by the U.S. Department of State. The PNNL team's involvement included conducting a nation-wide diesel black carbon emission inventory in Russia. Soot is viewed as an instigator of snow and ice melt in the Arctic. As the world's "canary in the coal mine" for climate change, the Arctic is an area susceptible to the surface-warming effects of black carbon.

Evans has expertise in energy efficiency, building energy codes, and sustainable energy policies. A master of five languages, she travels the globe leading international teams to research complex issues and recommend solutions for sustainable energy, greenhouse gas mitigation, and clean energy investments.

Kholod, a postdoctoral research associate at JGCRI, was previously an Associate Professor at Lviv National University in Ukraine. His research focuses on energy and environmental issues, especially black carbon emissions.

Yu has expertise in energy efficiency and clean energy policies and has worked on these issues in developing economies such as India, China, and Vietnam.  Her background in understanding energy planning for industry and the building sector was vital for developing the black carbon emissions inventory and mitigation measures in the Russian Arctic.

The JGCRI is a partnership between PNNL and the University of Maryland.

For more information, see study highlights: Study Finds How to Reduce Soot Pollution in Russia; Scientists Estimate Soot Released from Diesel Burning in Russian Arctic