About the Earth Sciences DivisionResearch in earth and atmospheric sciences is becoming increasingly important in light of the energy, climate change, and environmental issues facing the United States and the world. The development of new energy resources other than hydrocarbons and the safe disposal of nuclear waste and greenhouse gases (such as carbon dioxide and methane) are critical to the future energy needs and environmental safety of this planet. In addition, the cleanup of many contaminated sites in the U.S., along with the preservation and management of our water supply, remain key challenges for us as well as future generations. In order to address future energy and environmental issues, we think that it is critical to integrate the earth sciences and disciplines in a timely fashion. This will involve focusing on fundamental, crosscutting science common to many energy and environmental issues. A primary focus will be the characterization, imaging, and manipulation of fluids in the earth. This addresses many U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) applications from environmental restoration to energy extraction and optimization. The Earth Sciences Division (ESD) of the Ernest Orlando Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) is currently addressing many of the key technical issues described above. Our total staff of over 200 scientists, UC Berkeley faculty, support staff and guests—performing world-acclaimed fundamental research in hydrogeology and reservoir engineering, geophysics and geomechanics, geochemistry, microbial ecology, and environmental engineering—provide the foundation for all of our programs. Building on this scientific foundation, we perform applied earth science research and technology development to support the DOE in a number of its program areas, namely:
Acknowledgments We gratefully acknowledge the support of our major sponsors in the Department of Energy, which include the Office of Science, the Office of Fossil Energy, the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, the Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management, and the Office of Environmental Management. We also appreciate the support received from other state and federal agencies such as the Bureau of Reclamation, the Department of Defense, the Environmental Protection Agency, and NASA. Lastly, we must also acknowledge and thank our industrial, as well as international collaborators, who provide both financial and in-kind support through various partnership projects, and who bring additional ideas, data, and experience to ESD. |
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