Earth Sciences Division - Earth and Environmental Sciences Area

News & Events

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,…

Berkeley Lab To Partner with International Collaborators in Geothermal Energy Research

July 30, 2020

Scientists from the Energy Geosciences Division will collaborate with European partners on three new geothermal research projects through the Department of Energy’s membership in GEOTHERMICA, a transnational consortium that combines the in-country financial resources and research expertise of 15 participating countries to demonstrate and validate novel concepts in geothermal energy use. This marks the first…

Global flux dataset enhanced for broader access, ease of use

Scientists who work to address challenges ranging from vegetation productivity under increasing temperatures to the impact of future drought at continental scale need to rely on data that can connect the biology taking place on land with changes in atmospheric concentrations of water and trace gases like carbon dioxide. Climate and ecosystem modelers, soil microbiologists,…

Subtropical Weather Pattern Estimated to Increase Long-Term Rainfall Variability in California by 50%

July 29, 2020

A research team led by Berkeley Lab has determined that a tropical weather phenomenon impacting the West Coast will dramatically alter California rainfall by century’s end, leaving the state to contend with a 50% increase in winter rainfall variability by the year 2100. The Madden-Julian Oscillation (MJO) is a poorly understood rainfall pattern that covers…

Plant Cell Wall Esters Could Help Forests Cope With Climate Change

July 28, 2020

Plant cell walls form the bulk of forest biomass. These cellulose-rich structures undergo physical and chemical modifications as leaves grow and develop, die and decompose, or desiccate when drought strikes. A plant’s cell walls are coated in methyl and acetyl esters–which are released into the atmosphere as methanol and acetic acid by its leaves as…