Investigating Earth’s environment and climate systems through laboratory study, modeling and theoretical analyses, and field programs
The Environmental and Climate Sciences Department investigates Earth’s environment and climate systems through laboratory study, modeling and theoretical analysis, and field programs. We focus on aerosol chemistry and microphysics, aerosol-related infrastructure, cloud dynamics and processes, precipitation, climate and process modeling, data management and software engineering, and meteorological services.
Primary funding comes from the U.S. Department of Energy through the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Research Facility and the Atmospheric System Research (ASR) Program (through the Process-level AdvancementS of Climate through Clouds and Aerosol Lifecycle Studies (PASCCALS) Science Focus Area).
Aerosols, Clouds, and Climate: Clearing the Uncertainty – and the Air
We address one of the greatest sources of uncertainty in models that predict Earth’s future climate: aerosols and the clouds that form when water condenses on these tiny aerosol particles. Researchers in our department work on innovations to measure and model aerosol and cloud properties, the processes that affect them in the atmosphere, and their interactions. These efforts will improve our understanding of aerosol-cloud interactions and impacts and provide data to improve planning for mitigating the environmental and human influences of climate change. They will also improve our understanding of the daily atmospheric conditions that impact renewable energy efficiency and demand.
Capabilities
- Instrument development and measurement science
- Developing instruments for sensing at unprecedented resolution
- Designing and leading field campaigns
- Constructing next-generation laboratory facilities (fixed and mobile)
- Planning multi-dimensional experimental protocols for tracking atmospheric motions
- Refining data-model integration for improving prediction
- Developing Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) techniques for maximizing data value
Aerosol Processes & Measurement
This group investigates aerosol properties through lab studies, field measurements, and modeling and theoretical analyses; leads in the development of new tools for aerosol measurement and novel approaches to aerosol simulation; and provides measurement capabilities to the DOE Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) program.
Cloud Processes & Measurement
This group focuses primarily on clouds and the processes that affect them, that they affect, and on how to represent these processes in models over the range of relevant sclaes. Also applies expertise to address energy needs such as solar energy forecasts and quantification of storm impacts on utility outages for improvement of grid resiliency and restoration.
BNF Observatory
We play an active role in the Bankhead National Forest (BNF) atmospheric observatory, a long-term mobile observatory being established by the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) user facility in northwestern Alabama.
CMAS
The Center for Multiscale Applied Sensing (CMAS) is a multi-disciplinary center providing innovative sensing solutions and applied applications for observing and predicting weather and environment around energy hot spots.
Meteorological Services
Responsible for the maintenance, calibration, data collection, and data archiving for the weather instrumentation network associated with atmospheric dispersion concerns for Brookhaven Lab.
The Environmental and Climate Sciences Department is part of Brookhaven Lab's Environment, Biology, Nuclear Science & Nonproliferation Directorate.
