Oak Ridge National Laboratory researchers are deploying their broad expertise in climate data and modeling to create science-based mitigation strategies for cities stressed by climate change as part of two U.S. Department of Energy Urban Integrated Field Laboratory projects.

The Urban IFLs are designed to bring together scientists from multiple research institutions to collect environmental and atmospheric data and incorporate it into models to predict localized climate change impacts. Those models are then used to explore different climate resilience technologies and solutions that could enhance community-level resilience, with a focus on underrepresented and disadvantaged neighborhoods.

“ORNL has a deep history of large-scale experimental and modeling science in vulnerable ecosystems to help us better understand complex climate processes,” said Eric Pierce, director of ORNL’s Environmental Sciences Division. “Applying that expertise and ORNL’s big science tools like Frontier, the world’s fastest supercomputer, to help provide real-world solutions for heavily populated urban areas is a natural fit.” 

In Texas, ORNL is collaborating on a project led by the University of Texas at Austin that focuses on the coastal communities of Beaumont and Port Arthur. Sea level rise, urban sprawl and the legacy of petrochemical industry operations present specific challenges for these port cities, where ORNL scientists will analyze risks from flooding. Other universities collaborating on the project are Lamar University, Texas A&M University and Prairie View A&M University