@energy

class="content__text" Happy Earth Day! 🌎 Measuring and documenting the past and potential effects of climate change is essential for dealing with the climate crisis. DOE’s Office of Science has been a leader for many years in atmospheric systems research and Earth systems modeling. We manage the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) user facility, which has been collecting long-term climate data for more than 30 years. Scientists have used ARM instruments to fill major gaps in our knowledge, such as in the MOSAiC expedition in the Arctic. Our researchers have played an essential role in examining how ecosystems will respond to climate change. In our Spruce and Peatland Responses Under Changing Environments (SPRUCE) experiment, researchers have been collecting data since 2015 on how heating and increases in carbon dioxide affect northern bogs. As we increase research into human activities, we are also working to ensure representation of people from all walks of life in the scientific community. In the past, those from marginalized communities have bore the brunt of the climate crisis and been excluded from the process and benefits of climate research. As part of those efforts, we have been expanding our ARM efforts to cover urban areas. Scientists participating in the TRacking Aerosol Convection interactions ExpeRiment (TRACER) took data and examined the relationships between clouds, pollution, and thunderstorms in the Houston, Texas area. The data will help scientists understand how human activities affect the local weather and air quality, as well as how hurricanes form and move. Other projects have examined the relationship between neighborhoods designs, heating & cooling patterns, and local weather—especially during heat waves. Photo description: A meteorological tower for TRACER in La Porte, Texas, in a sunset Photo credit: Image courtesy of the U.S. Department of Energy Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) user facility.

April 27, 2023