CROCUS is an Urban Integrated Field Laboratory led by the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory in partnership with academic and community organizations and civic and industry champions.
Funded by the DOE’s Office of Science, Biological and Environmental Research program, Community Research on Climate and Urban Science (CROCUS) studies urban climate change and its implications for environmental justice in the Chicago region. The CROCUS team conducts novel, multi-scale observational science and creates highly accurate climate models. This information leads to new insights on current and future urban climate challenges and informs future actions for mitigating and adapting to climate change at the street, neighborhood and regional levels.
Our goal is to develop knowledge and tools that are responsive to the needs of diverse communities and applicable to urban areas across the country. Our research provides opportunities to educate and train the next generation of workers who are diverse, informed and prepared for jobs in the climate sector.
Frequently Asked Questions
Learn more about CROCUS research, methods, partnerships and how we work with communities and gather their input.
Research & Science
CROCUS advances urban climate science by exploring how global and regional climate change influences stresses to people, infrastructure and the environment.
Partnerships
Our 17 partner organizations collaborate to identify and test sustainable solutions to bring just transitions to clean energy and green infrastructure.
If we understand how climate and urban systems interact at increasingly detailed scales, we can address the challenge in a fair, equitable and sustainable way. By advancing the science, we can help neighborhoods, governments and communities envision a climate-ready future. We’re all in this together.
Cristina Negri
CROCUS Project Director and Lead Principal Investigator
Press Releases
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Can a roof’s material cool the outside air and lower energy demand?
Researchers examined three different types of roofing strategies and their impact on near-surface temperature and cooling energy demand through regional modeling in the Chicago area.
From the Community
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Argonne Tours Connect Students to the Work of CROCUS
On a warm October day outside of the Department of Energy’s Argonne National Laboratory, a bus filled with high school students from Bennett Day School pulled into a gravel drive […]
In the News
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Argonne scientists working to change Humboldt Park’s ‘heat dome’
CBS News Chicago
