A new study led by PNNL researcher TC Chakraborty provides some answers about how irrigated agricultural land near cities affects urban heat stress.

Lauren Charles, a chief data scientist at PNNL, showcased the vital research coming out of her program at The National Academies Forum workshop in Washington, D.C., January 15–16, 2025.

PNNL’s year in review includes highlights ranging from advancing soil science to understanding Earth systems, expanding electricity transmission, detecting fentanyl, and applying artificial intelligence to aid scientific discovery.

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

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.

New datasets delineating global urban land support scientific research, application, and policy, but they can produce different results when applied to the same problem making it difficult for researchers to decide which to use.

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.

His expertise in data science and commitment to open science will drive dataset dissemination and advance collaborative global research efforts.

A new study reveals just how costly Earth's tipping points can be.

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.

Scientists are developing ways to detect previously unseen forms of fentanyl as well as other synthetic opioids known as nitazenes.

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

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.

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.

This work shows that linear pattern scaling is an effective means of obtaining global-to-local relationships for CMIP6 models, as it has been in past model eras.

This study examined the role of river sinuosity using computer models to understand what drives hyporheic exchange, a process that significantly affects water quality and ecosystem health.

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.

PNNL biodefense experts seek to identify, understand and mitigate the risks of biological pathogens—whether naturally occurring or intentionally created—so steps can be taken to prepare and respond.