NWRTC Notes From the Field (June 2020)
PNNL's Northwest Regional Technology Center interviews Assistant Chief of Resource Management for Seattle Fire Department Willie Barrington about how his team faced the unknown when the COVID-19 pandemic hit Seattle, Washington.
Soot Emissions Increase El Niño/La Niña Extremes
A study led by PNNL scientists reveals the influence of Arctic and midlatitude black carbon—or soot particles—on the frequency of extreme El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) events.
Hot, Humid Extremes Linked More to Moisture than Dry Heat
This study explores the relative role of temperature and humidity in extreme wet-bulb events and spurs further research into how these factors may change the frequency and intensity of life-threatening events in the future.
Seasonality Changes of Extreme Precipitation Over California Under Warming
In this study, PNNL researchers identified the seasonality changes in extreme precipitation over California under warming.
The Gathering Storm: Clouds Determine Drought or Drowning
University of Maryland, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, and PNNL scientists explored how radiation-cloud-convection-circulation interactions (RC3I) affect the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) and circulation at the global scale.
Improving Assessments of Reduced-Precision Calculations
A study by researchers at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory demonstrates an objective test method for assessing the correctness of reduced‐precision calculations.
The Intrinsic Skew Towards Cooling of Earth’s Climate
A study led by scientists at PNNL points to a new frontier for understanding the coupled climate system from the perspective of a nonlinear dynamical system.
Atmospheric Rivers Trigger Heavy Snowmelt in the Western United States
By quantifying the contribution of snowpack to runoff and extreme flooding in mountainous regions in the western United States, PNNL researchers provided a unified view of the interactions between snowpack and precipitation.