EETD Researchers at the American Geophysical Union Meeting in San Francisco December 9-13

December 6, 2013

A number of scientists from the Environmental Energy Technologies Division are presenting papers and posters at the American Geophysical Union Meeting next week in San Francisco. Here are brief descriptions of one talk and two posters by EETD scientists and their colleagues. For more information, go to the AGU meeting site at the link below, where you can look up presentations by scientists from EETD and other divisions of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.

Energy-Water Integrated Assessment of the Sacramento Area and a Demonstration of WEAP-LEAP Capability

Poster
Monday, December 9, 2013, 8 AM - 12 PM
Hall A-C Moscone South

Researchers from EETD and partner institutions report on a new basin-scale analysis capability suitable for forecasting demand and supply of water and energy for residential, commercial, industrial, and agricultural sector users, the first known fully linked application of these models. The model has been applied to study water-energy problems facing the American River and Sacramento region of California, an area thought to be uniquely vulnerable to climate variability. Modeling results indicate that water and electricity demands and supplies are particularly vulnerable to linked temperature and precipitation extremes, likely to occur with increasing frequency in future due to climate change.

Effects of Particle Filters and Accelerated Engine Replacement on Heavy-Duty Diesel Vehicle Emissions of Black Carbon, Nitrogen Oxides, and Ultrafine Particles

Tuesday, December 10, 2013, 2:40 PM
3004 Moscone West

Studies at the Port of Oakland assess the change in pollutant emissions associated with diesel particulate filter use and accelerated modernization of the heavy-duty truck fleet. These filters have become widely used in the United States since the introduction in 2007 of a more stringent exhaust particulate matter emission standard for heavy trucks. Preliminary results from the studies, conducted by researchers at Berkeley Lab, UC Berkeley and Aerosol Dynamics Inc., indicate that trucks without diesel particle filters emit four times more black carbon than filter-equipped trucks, but trucks with filters showed some increase in nitrogen dioxide emissions.

Using Remote Sensing to Quantify Roof Albedo in Seven California Cities

Poster
Wednesday, December 11, 8 AM - 12 PM
Hall A-C Moscone South

Cool roofs reflect sunlight and therefore can reduce cooling energy use in buildings. Since roofs cover about 20-25% of cities, wide-spread deployment of cool roofs could mitigate the urban heat island effect and partially counter urban temperature increases associated with global climate change. Accurately predicting the potential for increasing urban albedo using reflective roofs and its associated energy use and climate benefits requires detailed knowledge of the current stock of roofs at the city scale. EETD and USC researchers used a remote sensing tool to measure the solar reflectance (albedo) of roofs in seven California cities: Los Angeles, Long Beach, San Diego, Bakersfield, Sacramento, San Francisco, and San Jose.

Author

Allan Chen