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.
A Reconstruction of Prehistoric Temperatures for Some of the Oldest Archaeological Sites in North America
A new study offers a reconstruction of prehistoric temperatures for some of the first known North American settlements.
New Study Sheds Light on Ancient Microbial Dark Matter
DRI contributes to international team of scientists that unearths first in-depth look at Omnitrophota, one of the world’s oldest and tiniest bacteria.
Christine Albano Receives Board of Regents 2023 Rising Researcher Award
DRI scientist Christine Albano, Ph.D., is the recipient of the 2023 Rising Researcher Award from the Nevada System of Higher Education (NSHE) Board of Regents, in recognition of her outstanding early-career accomplishments and potential for advancing scientific knowledge in the field of earth and environmental sciences.
First-ever layered lake-sediment sample extracted from subglacial Antarctica
Since the discovery 50 years ago of subglacial lakes in Antarctica — some of the least accessible geological features on Earth — scientists have attempted to extract lake bed sediment to learn about the formation, movement, and past conditions of the ice sheet. Now, a team of researchers with the NSF-funded project Subglacial Antarctic Lakes Scientific Access (SALSA) has successfully done so, recovering the first layered sediments from beneath the modern Antarctic ice sheet.
DRI Announces Space Education Trainings for Nevada Teachers
DRI is pleased to announce “Space Education Educator Professional Development Training,” available for 80 educators in Las Vegas and Reno.
Arsenic Contaminates Private Drinking Water Wells Across the Western Great Basin
A new study shows more than 49,000 well users across the region may be at risk of exposure to unhealthy levels of arsenic in drinking water.
Wildfires Are Increasingly Burning California’s Snowy Landscapes and Colliding with Winter Droughts to Shrink California’s Snowpack
A DRI-led team examined what happens to mountain snowpacks when sunny, midwinter dry spells occur in forests impacted by severe wildfire.
A Changing Flood Recipe for Las Vegas
Researchers found that urbanization and climate change are changing the strength and seasonality of flooding in the Las Vegas region.
Spring Sunny Heat Waves Caused Record Snowmelt in 2021, Adding to Severe Water Supply Impacts Across the Western U.S.
DRI researchers examined the role of spring heatwaves on the snowmelt rates of mountain snowpacks across the West.
DRI Leading $5 Million Regional Climate Adaptation Project
With $5 million from NOAA’s Climate Adaptation Partners initiative, CNAP will focus on preparing communities to address local natural hazards.
Nevada NASA Programs appoint new Project Director, Dr. Eric Wilcox
Nevada NASA EPSCoR and Space Grant Consortium announced the new Project Director, Dr. Eric Wilcox, DRI research professor of atmospheric science.
Successful Citizen Science Weather Tracking Effort Goes National, Receives Three Additional Years of Funding From NASA
Researchers from Lynker, DRI, and UNR are partnering with community observers to track winter storms activity through Mountain Rain or Snow.