The road to climate change predictions

(Editor’s note: This is the next in a series of interviews with key leaders of the 100-day science and technology road mapping project. The project centers on seven focus areas: weapons and defense science; nuclear counterterrorism and forensics; cyber and space security and intelligence; biosecurity; regional climate modeling and impacts; LIFE — Laser Inertial Fusion-Fission Energy (LIFE); and advanced laser optical systems and applications. Today, hear from Doug Rotman, who is spearheading the regional climate modeling and impacts area of the plan.)

Related story in this issue: On the road to an intelligent future

Doug Rotman is the program director for the Laboratory’s Energy and Environmental Security Program Office in the Global Security Principal Directorate.

He began his LLNL career in 1985 and has led various projects and programs, as well as serving in management positions. His research interests include atmospheric physics and climate change. He received his Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from the University of California at Berkeley.

Why did you want to be a part of this road mapping plan?

I think climate change is one of the big challenges for the nation in the coming decades and this Lab has a reputation of working large challenges. Over the many years of the Lab’s existence, we’ve accumulated science and technology that could be applied to climate change. This Lab also has a rich history in climate change, so I’d like to apply that science and technology to this large issue. I think we could be a major resource for the nation.

What are your areas of interest?

I’m really interested in getting the climate change predictions to the scale of the people and their societal needs and societal requirements. I’m interested in looking at some of the uncertainties in climate change and to see how those can be addressed. Harking back to my Ph.D thesis, where I did work on energy technologies, I’m interested in getting back to that aspect, as well as some of the solutions to climate change.

What is your team working on now?

So far we’ve really laid out a strategy for how the Lab can address climate change predictions. We’re now broadening that to engage some of the energy technologies. We’re laying out some strategies on how to bring in some new energy technologies and how they would be addressed by climate change.

Some of the new energy technologies that the Lab is looking at are based on our longstanding skills in geoscience: underground coal gasification, carbon sequestration, and we’re building on some of our other atmospheric science program in improvements in wind energy and, of course, building on our long history in nuclear physics and nuclear chemistry, by looking at new fuels for nuclear energy.

Where do you see this work in five years and how does the overall mission of the Lab fit in?

In five years, I hope we’re working with the climate community to deliver predictions of climate change. I’m really hoping we have a Climate Change Center at the Lab, where we’re working energy technologies and climate change predictions as a resource for the nation.