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Climate and Ecosystem Sciences Division

Post Climate and Ecosystem Sciences Division GC-Future Water

Watershed project expert spells out impact of climate change on mountains in new IPCC report

October 3, 2019

East River, Colorado

Ecologist Heidi Steltzer, a Fort Lewis College professor and member of the Department of Energy’s Watershed Function Scientific Focus Area (SFA) project led by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, studies how reduced snowpack and earlier snowmelt caused by climate change impact water supply in high-mountain areas. She is a lead author of a new report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the United Nations body for assessing the science related to climate change.

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Post Climate and Ecosystem Sciences Division

How California Wildfires Can Impact Water Availability

September 5, 2019

In recent years, wildfires in the western United States have occurred with increasing frequency and scale. Climate change scenarios in California predict prolonged periods of drought with potential for conditions even more amenable to wildfires. The Sierra Nevada Mountains provide up to 70% of the state’s water resources, yet there is little known on how wildfires…

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Post Climate and Ecosystem Sciences Division

Tiny Toxins: How Algal Blooms Affect Coastal Systems Through a Complex Web of Interactions

September 5, 2019

  Berkeley Lab scientist Michelle Newcomer (Credit: Thor Swift/Berkeley Lab) Think summertime and the mind usually wanders to warm thoughts of sand, sunscreen, and fireworks. But increasingly summertime fun is being interrupted by algal blooms. From the Atlantic seaboard to the Gulf of Mexico, from the Great Lakes to the Pacific coast, harmful algal blooms…

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Post Climate and Ecosystem Sciences Division

Wildfires Could Permanently Alter Alaska’s Forest Composition

August 28, 2019

This summer, Alaska has experienced record high temperatures and devastating wildfires. If such events become more frequent, how might that impact our northernmost forests? A team of researchers led by the Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) projected that the combination of climate change and increased wildfires will cause the iconic evergreen conifer…

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Post Climate and Ecosystem Sciences Division Climate Sciences Department

Cool Roofs Can Help Shield California’s Cities Against Heat Waves

August 25, 2019

Aerial view of white roofed homes and streets forming circular patterns; St. Petersburg, Florida, USA (Credit: Shutterstock)               This summer alone, intense heat waves have been to blame for at least 11 deaths in Japan, a record-breaking 45.9-degree Celsius temperature in France, and a heat advisory affecting 147 million people on the U.S. East Coast. Conjectured…

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Post Climate and Ecosystem Sciences Division

Amazon Rainforest Absorbing Less Carbon Than Expected

August 20, 2019

Agriculture, forestry, and other types of land use account for 23% of human-caused greenhouse gas emissions, yet at the same time natural land processes absorb the equivalent of almost a third of carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuels and industry, according to the International Panel on Climate Change, which issued the first-ever comprehensive report on land and…

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Post Announcements Awards Climate and Ecosystem Sciences Division Energy Geosciences Division

Susan Hubbard Awarded Robert G. Wetzel Award for Water Quality

August 19, 2019

Susan Hubbard, Associate Laboratory Director for Earth and Environmental Sciences at Berkeley Lab, has been awarded the Robert G. Wetzel Award for Water Quality from the American Institute of Hydrology (AIH). AIH, founded in 1981, is a non-profit scientific and educational organization that certifies the competence and ethical conduct of professionals in the field of…

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Post Awards Climate and Ecosystem Sciences Division Energy Geosciences Division

Carl Steefel Named 2019 American Geophysical Union Fellow

August 14, 2019

  Carl Steefel, a senior scientist in the Earth & Environmental Sciences Area at Berkeley Lab, has been named by the American Geophysical Union (AGU) as a 2019 AGU Fellow. Every year, the AGU Fellows program recognizes members who have made exceptional contributions to the Earth and Space sciences. Vetted by a committee of AGU Fellows,…

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