Researchers at PNNL are developing a new class of acoustically active nanomaterials designed to improve the high-resolution tracking of exploratory fluids injected into the subsurface. These could improve subsurface geophysical monitoring.
"It's sort of like using infrared goggles to see heat signatures in the dark, except this is underground." PNNL and CHPRC implemented a state-of-the-art approach to monitor the process of remediating residual uranium at Hanford's 300 Area.
Researchers used novel methods to safely create and analyze plutonium samples. The approaches could prove influential in future studies of the radioactive material, benefitting research in legacy, national security and nuclear fuels.
Understanding the functional traits of Arctic and alpine tundra plant communities will enable better model projections of how they transform in warmer conditions.
Water management activities could reduce both the duration and intensity of agricultural droughts by a factor of about ten in most regions, while they may increase those of hydrological droughts by up to 50 percent.
Improving water conservation in the Energy Exascale Earth System Model's atmosphere component has important implications for projecting sea level change.