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Climate Sciences

Core Capabilities
People
  • Measuring and Modeling the Terrestrial Carbon Cycle

    Scientists operate field observatories and undertake observations and ecosystem manipulation experiments.

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  • Modeling Climate Change and Climate Change Solutions

    Scientists develop predictive models that reveal the complex processes shaping and controlling the planet.

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  • Simulating Clouds, Rain, and the Water Cycle

    Knowledge in cloud and convective dynamics are incorporated into DOE’s Earth System Models.

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Overview

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The Climate Sciences Department is the newest Earth and Environmental Sciences Area’s Department, founded in April 2007, and now has more than 100 scientific staff members. Through the Department’s ongoing contributions toward DOE’s strategic mission, and its success in attracting top talent pursuing tightly focused research goals, Berkeley Lab is recognized as one of the U.S. DOE’s National Laboratories (see FY2015 DOE Strategic Plan) with core competency in Climate Change Science.

The Department’s research capabilities lie in three primary areas:

  1. Modeling climate change and climate change solutions
  2. Simulating clouds, rain, and the water cycle
  3. Measuring and modeling the terrestrial carbon cycle.

Core Capabilities

Measuring and Modeling the Terrestrial Carbon Cycle

The Climate Sciences Department has core competency in operating field observatories and undertaking observations and ecosystem manipulation experiments to study soil biogeochemistry, vegetation dynamics, and tropical, boreal, and sub-Arctic ecology. Department members are experienced in the collection and interpretation of eddy covariance measurements, tower and aircraft observations, and isotopic measurements of CO2, CH4, CO, 13C,…

Modeling Climate Change and Climate Change Solutions

Scientists in the Climate Sciences Department are experts in developing predictive models that reveal the complex processes shaping and controlling the planet. Their scientific modeling expertise includes the ability to perform multiscale simulations of abrupt and extreme climate change through development, deployment, and diagnosis of new model frameworks. The Department is actively developing the first…

Simulating Clouds, Rain, and the Water Cycle

Departmental scientists have expertise in cloud and convective dynamics and the ability to incorporate that knowledge into DOE’s Earth System Models. Work includes studies of the energy available for triggering convection, the coupling between convection and its large-scale environment, and the transport of mass, momentum, aerosols, water vapor, and other chemical species in convection.

David Ackerly

Faculty Scientist

Phone: 510-643-6341
dackerly@lbl.gov

Emily Bercos-Hickey

Postdoctoral Research Fellow

Phone: 510-486-5983
ebercoshickey@lbl.gov

Sebastien Biraud - portrait

Sébastien Biraud

Staff Scientist

Climate Sciences Department Head

Phone: 510-486-6084
scbiraud@lbl.gov

James K. Bishop

Senior Faculty Scientist

Phone: 510-642-6110
Fax: 510-486-5686
jkbishop@lbl.gov

Niklas Blanadet

Research Associate

Phone: 415-717-2325
nblanadet@lbl.gov

Barbara Bomfim

Postdoctoral Research Fellow

Phone: 530-220-3291
bbomfim@lbl.gov

William Ronald Boos

Faculty Scientist

Phone: 510-495-2407
wrboos@lbl.gov

Hanna Breunig

Research Scientist

Phone: 510-486-4046
hannabreunig@lbl.gov

Cristina Castanha

Principal Research Associate

Phone: 510-486-7500
ccastanha@lbl.gov

Oriana Elizabeth Holtz Chafe

Research Associate

Phone: 510-505-4497
oechafe@lbl.gov

Jeffrey Chambers

Faculty Scientist

Phone: 510-495-2932
jchambers@lbl.gov

Wai-Yin Stephen Chan

Senior Scientific Engineering Associate

Phone: 510-486-4194
swchan@lbl.gov

Kuang-Yu Chang

Postdoctoral Research Fellow

Phone: 510-486-8141
ckychang@lbl.gov

John Chun Hong Chiang

Faculty Scientist

jcchiang@lbl.gov

Housen Chu

Research Scientist

Phone: 510-486-6138
hchu@lbl.gov

Fabio Ciulla

Postdoctoral Research Fellow

Phone: 510-495-8890
fciulla@lbl.gov

William D. (Bill) Collins

Associate Laboratory Director, Earth and Environmental Sciences Area

Phone: 510-495-2407
Fax: 510-486-5686
wdcollins@lbl.gov

Yi Dai

Postdoctoral Research Fellow

Phone: 510-495-8048
yidai@lbl.gov

Sigrid Dengel

Scientific Engineering Associate

Phone: 510-486-4978
Fax: 510-486-5686
sdengel@lbl.gov

Alan V. Di Vittorio

Research Scientist

avdivittorio@lbl.gov

Nicola Falco

Research Scientist

nicolafalco@lbl.gov

Daniel Feldman

Staff Scientist

Phone: 510-495-2171
Fax: 510-486-7775
drfeldman@lbl.gov

Yanlei Feng

Graduate Student Research Assistant

Phone: 510-495-2932
yanleifeng@lbl.gov

Inez Fung

Faculty Scientist

Phone: 510-643-9367
ifung@lbl.gov

Xiulin Gao

Postdoctoral Research Fellow

Phone: 806-445-4865
xiulingao@lbl.gov

Cynthia Gerlein-Safdi

Project Scientist

Phone: 609-865-5428
cgerleinsafdi@lbl.gov

Andrew S. Graus

Associate Software Developer

Phone: 510-486-5792
agraus@lbl.gov

Jennifer A. Holm

Research Scientist

Phone: 510-495-8083
Fax: 510-486-5686
jaholm@lbl.gov

Kripa Akila Jagannathan

Research Scientist

Phone: 415-335-5834
kajagannathan@lbl.gov

Andrew D. Jones

Staff Scientist

Program Domain Lead for Earth Systems and Society

Phone: 510-486-5114
adjones@lbl.gov

Noel Keen

Software Developer

Phone: 510-486-5140
ndkeen@lbl.gov

Trevor Keenan portrait

Trevor Keenan

Faculty Scientist

Phone: 510-486-5537
Fax: 510-486-5686
trevorkeenan@lbl.gov

Ryan G. Knox

Software Developer

Phone: 510-495-2153
rgknox@lbl.gov

Charles Dunbar Koven

Staff Scientist

Phone: 510-486-6724
cdkoven@lbl.gov

Lara Kueppers

Faculty Scientist

Phone: 510-486-5813
Fax: 510-486-5686
lmkueppers@lbl.gov

Gregory Lemieux

Software Developer

Phone: 510-486-5049
glemieux@lbl.gov

Marcos Longo

Research Scientist

mlongo@lbl.gov

Portrait Zelalem Mekonnen

Zelalem A. Mekonnen

Research Scientist

Phone: 510-486-7072
zmekonnen@lbl.gov

Midhun (Mikey) Mohan

Graduate Student Research Assistant

Phone: 510-345-7683
mid_mohan@lbl.gov

Andrew Moyes

Senior Scientific Engineering Associate

Phone: 510-486-6246
abmoyes@lbl.gov

Jessica Needham

Research Scientist

Phone: 510-486-6724
jfneedham@lbl.gov

Robinson I. Negron-Juarez

Staff Scientist

Phone: 510-486-7690
Fax: 510-486-5686
robinson.inj@lbl.gov

Travis A. O’Brien

Visiting Faculty

Phone: 812-269-2051
Fax: 510-486-5686
taobrien@lbl.gov

Mohammed Ombadi

Postdoctoral Research Fellow

Phone: 949-981-0969
ombadi@lbl.gov

Ulysse Pasquier

Postdoctoral Research Fellow

Phone: 510-486-5128
upasquier@lbl.gov

Elaine Pegoraro

Postdoctoral Research Fellow

Phone: 407-412-8881
elainepegoraro@lbl.gov

Rachel C. Porras

Senior Research Associate

Phone: 510-495-2226
rcporras@lbl.gov

Satyarth Praveen

Data Scientist

satyarth@lbl.gov

Ken Reichl

Senior Scientific Engineering Associate

Phone: 805-813-1488
kreichl@lbl.gov

Robert Rhew

Guest Faculty Scientist

Affiliate

Phone: 510-643-6984
rrhew@lbl.gov

Alan Rhoades

Hydroclimate Research Scientist

Phone: 530-210-8344
arhoades@lbl.gov

William J. Riley

Director (Acting), Climate & Ecosystem Sciences Division;

Senior Scientist

Phone: 510-486-5036
Fax: 510-486-7070
wjriley@lbl.gov

Mark Risser

Mark Risser

Research Scientist

Phone: 330-201-1857
mdrisser@lbl.gov

David Romps

Faculty Scientist

Phone: 510-486-7175
Fax: 510-486-5686
dromps@lbl.gov

André Santos

Research Associate

Phone: 510-495-2153
aldsantos@lbl.gov

Shijie Shu

Postdoctoral Research Fellow

Phone: 510-495-8083
sshu@lbl.gov

Julia Szinai

Graduate Student Research Assistant

jszinai@lbl.gov

Jinyun Tang

Staff Scientist

Phone: 510-486-5792
Fax: 510-486-7070
jinyuntang@lbl.gov

Jing Tao

Project Scientist

jingtao@lbl.gov

Haiyan Teng

Climate & Atmosphere Processes Program Domain Lead

Staff Scientist

Phone: 510-495-2407
hteng@lbl.gov

Margaret Torn

Margaret S. Torn

Ecologist & Biogeochemist

Senior Scientist

Phone: 510-495-2223
Fax: 510-486-7775
mstorn@lbl.gov

Pouya Vahmani

Research Scientist

My NameBadge

Phone: 510-486-5128
pvahmani@lbl.gov

Zexuan Xu

Zexuan Xu

Research Scientist

Phone: 510-486-5128
zexuanxu@lbl.gov

Da Yang

Faculty Scientist

Phone: 510-486-5618
dayang@lbl.gov

Koong Yi

Postdoctoral Research Fellow

koongyi@lbl.gov

Yang Zhou

Research Scientist

Phone: 631-317-9566
yzhou2@lbl.gov

Qing Zhu

Research Scientist

Phone: 510-486-6546
Fax: 510-486-5686
qzhu@lbl.gov

Department Contacts

Sebastien Biraud - portrait

Sébastien Biraud
Climate Sciences Department Head

Bridgette Leigh Hall
Administrative Assistant

News & Events

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 as the “new normal,” these extreme air…

EESA Participates in Expert Briefing on Environmental Impact of Wildfires at State Capitol

April 4, 2019

Susan Hubbard, Associate Laboratory Director of the Earth and Environmental Sciences Area at Berkeley Lab, moderated an expert briefing on the impact California wildfires were having on the environment at the state capitol in Sacramento today. The event is the latest in a series of briefings hosted by the California Council on Science & Technology…

EESA Identifies Potential Power of Climate Model Diagnostic Tool To Improve Global Extreme Storm Predictions

March 28, 2019

  By adapting scaling formulas that are traditionally used to diagnose the overall behavior of extreme rainfall events in a warming climate, atmospheric scientists at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and UC Irvine have demonstrated that the potential exists for these formulas to capture the dynamics of individual rainstorms globally. Heavy rainstorms that can cause floods,…

EESA Researchers Examine Greenhouse Gas Flux In Arctic Tundra

November 28, 2018

Three hundred twenty miles north of the Arctic circle in Barrow on Alaska’s northern slope, average high temperatures are at or below zero degrees Fahrenheit for 160 days per year. This cold, harsh climate creates a vast expanse of permafrost to help make this Arctic tundra biome one of the biggest carbon sinks on the…

How Drought and Other Extremes Impact Water Pollution

October 15, 2018

This Q and A article appeared first on the Berkeley Lab News Center. Previously, the work of the Watershed Function SFA Research team was featured during a podcast for News Deeply. You can hear Bhavna Arora talk about her research here.   One in 10 Americans depends on the Colorado River for bathing and drinking.…

EESA Climate Experts Show Methane’s Effects on Sunlight Vary by Region

September 27, 2018

Scientists investigating how human-induced increases in atmospheric methane also increase the amount of solar energy absorbed by that gas in our climate system have discovered that this absorption is 10 times stronger over desert regions such as the Sahara Desert and Arabian Peninsula than elsewhere on Earth, and nearly three times more powerful in the…

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