News & Announcements
Working to Solve our Most Challenging Environmental Problems
DRI’s research calls on the expertise and methods of scientists from multiple scientific disciplines. More than 600 highly-skilled scientists, engineers, technicians, students, and staff work collaboratively within and across three research divisions, focused on understanding and answering critical science questions about global climate change, water quality and availability, air quality, the sustainability of desert lands, life in extreme environments, education, and more.
First Dive Survey of Lake Tahoe’s Lakebed Finds High Amounts of Plastic and Other Litter
Scientists teamed up with nonprofit Clean Up the Lake to collect and analyze litter found on the bottom of Lake Tahoe. In one of the first studies to utilize scuba divers to collect litter from a lakebed, 673 plastic items were counted from just a small fraction of the lake.
DRI’s Hans Moosmuller on Antarctic Expedition to Investigate the Impacts of Pollution Near the South Pole
Hans Moosmuller, Ph.D., joins two Chilean scientists from the Center for Environmental Technologies (CETAM) of the Universidad Tecnica Federico Santa Maria on an expedition to Antarctica’s Unión Glacier, located just a thousand kilometers from the South Pole.
Climate Change Will Increase Wildfire Risk and Lengthen Fire Seasons, Study Confirms
Scientists examined multiple fire danger indices for the contiguous U.S. to assess the impact of climate change on future wildfire risk and seasonality.
Community Scientists Needed: Help Improve Winter Weather Predictions
Community members across Utah, the Great Basin, and around Lake Erie and Lake Ontario are invited to join people across the country in contributing winter weather observations. The data is collected by scientists for a NASA-funded project that seeks to improve the accuracy of winter weather predictions.
3000 years of carbon monoxide records show positive impact of global intervention in the 1980s
An international team of scientists have assembled the first complete record of carbon monoxide concentrations in the southern hemisphere, based on measurements of air.
Volcanic Eruptions Triggered Historical Global Cooling
The new study, led by the School of Earth and Environmental Sciences at St Andrews with international colleagues from the Desert Research Institute and others in Switzerland and the USA, and published in The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) (6 November 2023), finds that massive volcanic eruptions caused historical global cooling.
Scientists Map Loss of Groundwater Storage Around the World
A new study maps, for the first time, the permanent loss of aquifer storage capacity occurring globally. Researchers from DRI, Colorado State University, and the Missouri University of Science and Technology examined how groundwater extraction is driving land subsidence and aquifer collapse.
DRI’s CNAP Project Selected as Regional Model for Building National Climate Adaptation
DRI is leading the way in building regional climate resiliency through the California-Nevada Adaptation Program, which will prepare communities for local-level action to address climate hazards including extreme heat and wildfire smoke, water scarcity, and coastal flooding.
Annual Awards Presented to DRI Faculty and Staff at 2023 Celebration of Science
On September 26 & 28, DRI held awards and recognition ceremonies at our Reno and Las Vegas campuses to honor eleven scientists and staff members for their achievements. Along with the below awardees, several faculty and staff were recognized for their long-term service to DRI for up to 25 years.
DRI Recognizes Andrea Gordon as the 2023 Peter B. Wagner Memorial Award-Winner for Women in Atmospheric Sciences
DRI is pleased to announce that the 25th annual Peter B. Wagner Memorial Award for Women in Atmospheric Sciences has been awarded to Andrea Gordon of the University of Oklahoma. An award ceremony commemorating her achievement was held at the DRI campus in Reno on Sep. 21, 2023.
DRI Accepting Applications for New STEM Education Internship Program
DRI is accepting applications for the new STEM Educator Partnership fall internship that will take place from September to December 2023. This paid opportunity is available to current education and science majors at UNR and UNLV, as well as Nevada K-5 educators.
DRI Announces a Back-to-School Event for Educators
DRI is pleased to announce its “STEM Showcase for Educators: Back to School Blowout” in Las Vegas and Reno. The event includes training on DRI’s new Green Boxes, free classroom supplies, raffle prizes, swag bags, and a resource fair.