Plant CO2 uptake rises by nearly one third in new global estimates

Plants the world over are absorbing about 31% more carbon dioxide than previously thought, according to a new assessment detailed in the journal Nature. The research team used new models and measurements to assess terrestrial gross primary production at 157 petagrams of carbon per year, up from an estimate of 120 petagrams established 40 years ago and currently used in most estimates of Earth’s carbon cycle. The research is expected to improve Earth system simulations. Read more

SCIENCE WATCH

Fine-tuning forecasts: ORBIT brings long-range weather prediction within reach—The world’s first exascale supercomputer for open science could help bring up-to-the-minute, pinpoint weather forecasts weeks in advance to your laptop, tablet, or phone. ORNL researchers used Frontier, the Oak Ridge Leadership Computing Facility’s 2-exaflop HPE Cray EX supercomputing system, to train the world’s largest artificial intelligence model for weather prediction. The team’s Oak Ridge Base Foundation Model for Earth System Predictability, or ORBIT, draws on 113 billion model parameters to predict weather up to 30 days in advance. The accuracy rates for short-term forecasts (days or weeks in advance) range as high as 90 to 95%; for long-term forecasts (more than two weeks in advance), 60 to 80%. Read more

Batting for endangered species with biomaterials—ORNL researchers are using a new bioderived material to 3D print custom roosting structures for endangered bats. The eco-friendly composite offers a sustainable alternative to synthetic materials for artificial habitats, promoting better wildlife health and encouraging natural behaviors among bats. Traditional artificial habitats, in comparison, can lead to high population densities by failing to encourage bats to leave when roost sites become unviable. Read more

Targeting toxic mercury formation—Researchers have identified a molecule essential for the microbial conversion of inorganic mercury into the neurotoxin methylmercury, moving closer to blocking the dangerous pollutant before it forms. In 2013, ORNL scientists identified two genes required for methylmercury formation. Now, ORNL has assisted the University of Michigan in confirming a molecule called S-adenosylmethionineis as the methyl “donor” in the process that enables conversion. Read more

Southeast coastal systems workshop summary online—The executive summary of an upcoming report on a workshop identifying critical knowledge gaps and research opportunities relevant to Southeast coastal systems has been published online. The workshop, co-led by Elizabeth Herndon earlier in 2024, took a look at the uniqueness of the coastal Southeast and how additional research can improve our predictive understanding of this economically and environmentally important ecosystem. Read more

Forest disturbance tool tracks Hurricane Helene devastation—A visualization tool that tracks changes to the nation’s forests in near–real time is helping resource managers pinpoint areas with the most damage for potential remediation work from Hurricane Helene in the U.S. Southeast. The ForWarn visualization tool was co-developed by ORNL with the U.S. Forest Service. The tool captures and analyzes satellite imagery to track impacts such as storms, wildfire, and pests on forests across the nation. Read more

STAFF SPOTLIGHT

Iversen, Ragauskas recognized among world’s most cited—Colleen Iversen and Art Ragauskas were among four ORNL scientists recognized as Highly Cited Researchers by Clarivate. Highly Cited Researchers rank in the top 1% by citations for their field and publication year on Web of Science. The researchers were honored at an ORNL ceremony attended by lab leadership and Clarivate representatives. Read more

Environmental Sciences Division confers Distinguished Achievement Awards—Eric Pierce presented the annual Distinguished Achievement Awards at the ESD all-hands in November. Ben Sulman was honored with the Stanley I. Auerbach Award for Excellence for his research modeling biogeochemistry and plant dynamics; Ryan Jacobson won the Post-Graduate Research Award for his work in biomass resource economics and systems modeling; Carol Sanderson won the Research Support Award for supporting ORNL Distributed Active Archive Center data publication; and Alexis Clark won the Administrative Support Person of the Year Award for enabling the best science through exemplary support. The ESD awards have been conferred annually for more than 40 years, recognizing staff who have significantly advanced the division’s mission and culture. Read more

Cahill, Kertesz win Technology Transfer Award—Jack Cahill and Vilmos Kertesz received the Technology Transfer Award in the Excellence in Science and Technology category at UT-Battelle’s Awards Night. The BESSD scientists were recognized for sustained contributions to droplet capture liquid extraction analysis by mass spectrometry, as exemplified by the development and commercialization of the Open Port Sampling Interface and the dropletProbe, both R&D 100 award winning technologies.

Efroymson named to International Science Council experts roster—Rebecca Efroymson was among four ORNL scientists selected to join a new effort of the International Science Council as members of the “Global Roster of Experts”. The effort aims to ensure that science informs decision-making on pressing global challenges. The U.S. is a member of the International Science Council via the National Academy of Sciences, Board on International Scientific Organizations. Read more

Q&A

Waterfall-Climbing Gobies, DNA, and a Robot Named “Edna”: How Kristine Moody Is Helping Hydropower Facilities Protect Fish

Kristine Moody stood ribs-deep in a snow-cold Hawaiian stream. Water dripped from her hair and cheeks onto her neoprene wet suit. She pushed her snorkel up onto her forehead, took a few above-water breaths, and grinned. Some people go to Hawaii to sunbathe and slurp tropical drinks. But for Moody, searching for a slimy, camouflaged fish in chilly water—that was paradise.

Moody grew up snorkeling, sailing, and swimming in warmer Floridian waters and developed an intense curiosity about aquatic creatures. Now, Moody has dedicated her career to seeking them out. In those frigid Hawaiian waters, she was searching for waterfall-climbing gobies to study why these intrepid fish traverse seas and steep streams to survive. Today, at ORNL, she tracks even more fish species using something called environmental DNA and RNA (or eDNA and eRNA, for short).

When a creature like a trout, eel, or mussel—or even a beaver, groundhog, cow, pig, or human—touches water, it leaves behind traces of its genetic material, namely, its DNA and RNA. With just a small water sample, Moody can use these markers to track which species are present in a specific waterway, estimate how many passed by within the past hour, and potentially learn their age, sex, and much, much more.

"There's a lot more information in the water than we give it credit for. We're taking new approaches that nobody's really doing yet, like using eRNA in real-world settings. So we're on that bleeding edge."

Hydropower operators are paying attention. Because eDNA and eRNA allow Moody and others to track fish population health without touching a single fin, hydropower operators can use this method to monitor their impact on local ecosystems. And these noninvasive techniques have proven to be just as accurate as and more efficient, affordable, and safer than conventional manual fish counting systems.

In this Q&A, Moody shared why she could never be a veterinarian, how fruit flies led her to gobies, and why a robot called “Edna” could help hydropower facilities collect critical fish data even in remote, hard-to-reach waterways. Read more

UT-Battelle manages ORNL for DOE’s Office of Science, the single largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States. The Office of Science is working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time. For more information, please visit energy.gov/science.