Researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Argonne National Laboratory have conducted a detailed study of the reflectivity effects of converting land to grow biofuel crops.
Researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Argonne National Laboratory have helped develop a plan for the operation of Glen Canyon Dam in Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, upstream of Grand Canyon National Park.
It may be hard to imagine, but soil gets dirty. Soil can become contaminated with oil, grease, heavy metals or pesticides through urban and agricultural runoff as well as industrial spills or precipitation.
Climate change can often seem concerned mainly with carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases far above the Earth — but researchers also want to know what role things on the ground play.
Rao Kotamarthi and Jiali Wang spend their days looking at a future Earth. The two scientists work on simulations and techniques to project what the climate will look like 100 years from now.
Before farmers settled the Midwestern United States and planted crops, the extensive root systems of prairie grasses — including the tall, strong-stemmed switchgrass species — enriched the soil, creating millions of acres of prime farmland.
Whenever news breaks about what Earth’s climate is expected to be like decades into the future or how much rainfall various regions around the country or the world are likely to receive, those educated estimates are generated by a global climate model.