If a paper envelope gets wet, the contents may be ruined. It’s similar for a building’s “envelope”—essentially the space between the inside of a structure and the outside, including walls, doors, and windows. Researchers from Pacific Northwest National …
The Science Global precipitation is expected to increase with climate change, but accurately predicting these changes is challenging for current models. To better assess future conditions, two key factors must themselves be …
The Science Graphene oxide (GO) membranes have shown promise for separating ions from mixed solutions based on size. Research into approaches to modify the membranes for more selective separations is ongoing. Scientists discovered that reducing GO …
The Science Wildfires can influence both terrestrial and aquatic biogeochemical cycling through the alteration of organic matter during burning. This research compares different burning methods to simulate wildfire to …
The Science The interior of a fusion reactor can be an extreme environment. Not many materials can withstand the high temperatures and intense radiation that occurs during fusion reactions. Tungsten heavy alloys (WHAs) emerged as a promising material …
Integrating renewable energy into the nation’s power grid isn’t as simple as plugging in a wind or solar power plant or energy storage facility—these resources produce direct current, while the power grid largely runs on alternating current. That’s where …
Turbulence, temperature changes, water vapor, carbon dioxide, ozone, methane, and other gases absorb, reflect, and scatter sunlight as it passes through the atmosphere, bounces off the Earth’s surface, and is collected by a sensor on a remote sensing …
The Science Polyolefin materials are challenging to recycle, leading to environmental and resource concerns. One strategy for managing this waste is plastic upcycling, where discarded or used plastics are converted into other carbon products. Researchers …
Evangelina Galvan Shreeve, chief diversity officer and director of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) education at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), was recently honored with the Tri-Cities Champion of Diversity Award. Galvan …
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) hosted the inaugural Global Wildlife Data Sharing Conference on May 20–21, 2024. The conference brought together international experts and stakeholders in wildlife health, One Health security, and data science …
Kriston Brooks, a Project Management Office director (PMOD) at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), was recently recognized for his performance as a derivative classifier (DC) at the Annual Classification Officers’ Technical Program Review. Brooks …
The Science Effectively and safely processing nuclear waste involves understanding how ionizing radiation interacts with materials, especially in extreme environments. This study investigated how gamma radiation affects the thermodynamic stability of …
The Science Particles in wildfire smoke can lower air quality and harm human health. Smoke aerosols can also influence weather and climate by modifying cloud formation and changing how much of the sun’s energy is reflected or absorbed by the atmosphere. …
Buoys are critical for various types of marine observations and research. To help inform and support offshore wind energy development, for example, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) deploys lidar buoys that carry scientific instruments to …
The Science An extreme heat event occurred near the North Pole in late December 2015. The near-surface air temperature was above 0 °C, exceeding the melting point for pure water ice. Although this event has been extensively studied, knowledge about similar …
Jordan Corbey is a staff scientist at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), supporting the National Security Directorate. Corbey joined PNNL in 2015 and applies her knowledge to nuclear material processing research. Recently, she was selected as a …
A research paper from a collaborative team including Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) researchers received a best scientific paper award from the Mineralized Tissue Group (MTG) of the International Association for Dental Research (IADR). The …
The Science Earth system models (ESMs) are essential tools to understand climate change impacts on wetlands. However, current ESMs usually represent wetland hydrology in oversimplified ways, resulting in low confidence of their projection of wetland …
The Science Aerosols, often emitted alongside greenhouse gases, can brighten clouds and cause significant cooling. However, the uncertainty associated with aerosol–cloud interactions (ACIs) is large and potentially significant enough to mask a sizable …
With the advent of exascale computing, scientists can perform complex calculations to address difficult challenges in research for energy and national security. However, some problems are still inaccessible for even these powerful computers. For certain …
