Search NASA⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search NASA

Results for “ENVIRONMENTAL LABORATORY”

Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 253 records · Page 14

2024 Annual Site Environmental Report for Sandia National Laboratories, Livermore, California

Sandia National Laboratories is a multimission laboratory managed and operated by National Technology & Engineering Solutions of Sandia, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Honeywell International Inc., for the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration. The National Nuclear Security Administration’s Sandia Field Office administers the Prime Contract and oversees contractor operations at Sandia National Laboratories, California. Activities at this multi-program engineering and science laboratory support the nuclear weapons stockpile program, energy and environmental research, homeland security, micro- and nanotechnologies, and basic science and engineering research. The U.S. Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration and its management and operating contractor are committed to fulfilling regulatory obligations, safeguarding the environment, assessing sustainability practices, and ensuring the validity and accuracy of the monitoring data presented in this annual site environmental report (ASER). This report provides a summary of environmental monitoring and compliance activities that occurred at Sandia National Laboratories, California, during calendar year 2024, unless noted otherwise. General site and environmental program information is also included. This report was prepared in accordance with DOE Order 231.1B, Admin Change 1, Environment, Safety and Health Reporting.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

2023 Annual Site Environmental Report for Sandia National Laboratories, Livermore, California

Sandia National Laboratories is a multimission laboratory managed and operated by National Technology & Engineering Solutions of Sandia, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Honeywell International Inc., for the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration. The National Nuclear Security Administration’s Sandia Field Office administers the Prime Contract and oversees contractor operations at Sandia National Laboratories, California. Activities at this multi-program engineering and science laboratory support the nuclear weapons stockpile program, energy and environmental research, homeland security, micro-and nanotechnologies, and basic science and engineering research. The U.S. Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration and its management and operating contractor are committed to safeguarding the environment, assessing sustainability practices, and ensuring the validity and accuracy of the monitoring data presented in this annual site environmental report. This report provides a summary of environmental monitoring of information and compliance activities that occurred at Sandia National Laboratories, California during calendar year 2023 unless noted otherwise. General site and environmental program information is also included. This report was prepared in accordance with DOE O 231.1B, Admin Change 1, Environment, Safety and Health Reporting.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

Aqueous solution degradation pathways of trimethylsiloxane surfactants

Trimethylsiloxane (TriSil) surfactants are promising, environmentally friendly alternatives to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), which are global recalcitrant and persistent environmental contaminants, in aqueous film-forming fire-fighting foams (AFFF).

Mifkovic, Maleigh [Department of Chemistry, Colora↗

Impacts of Mean State Ocean Heat Transport on Climate and Its Response to CO 2 Forcing

Simulations of the slab ocean configuration of the coupled Energy Exascale Earth System Model (E3SM) were used to isolate the role of poleward ocean heat transport (OHT) in shaping the climate and its response to CO 2 forcing. Imposed changes to mean-state OHT produce compensating changes in atmospheric heat transport (AHT) that are mediated by changes in surface evaporation. A reduction of maximum OHT by 0.56 PW (32%) reduces the global mean surface air temperature by 3.6°C. However, this cooler mean state exhibits 1.2°C more warming under CO 2 quadrupling, with the largest differences occurring at high latitudes. The amplified warming arises from stronger surface albedo and lapse rate feedbacks in polar regions and a shortwave cloud feedback in the southern midlatitudes. These results highlight the critical role of mean-state OHT in modulating mean-state climate, the partitioning between the OHT and AHT, and climate sensitivity.

Atmosphere-ocean-ice interactions↗

Extrapolar Cloud Feedbacks as a Driver of Arctic Amplification

The role of cloud feedbacks in Arctic amplification (AA) of anthropogenic warming remains unclear. Traditional feedback analysis diagnoses the net cloud feedback as strongly positive in the tropics but either weak or negative in the Arctic, suggesting that AA would be amplified if cloud feedbacks were suppressed. However, in cloud-locking experiments using the slab ocean version of the Energy Exascale Earth System Model (E3SM), we find that suppressing cloud feedbacks results in a substantial decrease in AA under greenhouse gas forcing. We show that the increase in AA from cloud feedbacks arises from two main mechanisms: 1) the additional energy contributed by positive cloud feedbacks in the tropics leads to increased poleward moist atmospheric heat transport (AHT) which then amplifies Arctic warming; and 2) the additional Arctic warming is amplified by positive noncloud feedbacks in the region, together making extrapolar cloud feedbacks amplify AA. We also find that cloud changes can modify the strength of noncloud feedback, but that modification has a small effect on Arctic warming. We further examine the role of cloud feedbacks in AA using a moist energy balance model, which demonstrates that interactions of cloud feedbacks with moist AHT and other positive feedbacks dominate the influence of clouds on the pattern of surface warming. However, the contribution of cloud-induced changes in noncloud feedbacks on AA is relatively minor. Furthermore, these results demonstrate that traditional attributions of AA, that are based on local feedback analysis, overlook key interactions between extrapolar cloud changes, poleward AHT, and noncloud feedbacks in the Arctic.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗

2024 Site Environmental Report

Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) is managed on behalf of the Department of Energy (DOE) by Brookhaven Science Associates (BSA), a partnership between Stony Brook University and Battelle, and six core universities: Columbia, Cornell, Harvard, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Princeton, and Yale. For over 75 years, the Laboratory has played a lead role in the DOE Science and Technology mission and continues to contribute to the DOE’s missions in energy resources, environmental quality, and national security. BNL manages its world-class scientific research operations with sensitivity to environmental issues and community concerns. The Laboratory’s Environmental, Safety, Security, and Health (ESSH) Policy reflects the commitment of BNL’s management to fully integrate environmental stewardship into all facets of its mission and operations.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

2023 Annual Site Environmental Report for Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, New Mexico

Sandia National Laboratories is a multimission laboratory managed and operated by National Technology & Engineering Solutions of Sandia, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Honeywell International Inc., for the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration. The National Nuclear Security Administration’s Sandia Field Office administers the contract and oversees contractor operations at Sandia National Laboratories, New Mexico. Activities at the site support research and development programs with a wide variety of national security missions, resulting in technologies for nonproliferation, homeland security, energy and infrastructure, and defense systems and assessments. The U.S. Department of Energy and its management and operating contractor are committed to safeguarding the environment, assessing sustainability practices, and ensuring the validity and accuracy of the monitoring data presented in this annual site environmental report. This report summarizes the environmental protection and monitoring programs in place at Sandia National Laboratories, New Mexico, during calendar year 2023. Environmental topics include cultural resource management, chemical management, air quality, ecology, environmental restoration, oil storage, site sustainability, terrestrial surveillance, waste management, water quality, and implementation of the National Environmental Policy Act. This report is prepared in accordance with and as required by DOE O 231.1B, Admin Change 1, Environment, Safety and Health Reporting, and has been approved for public distribution.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

2023 Annual Site Environmental Report for Sandia National Laboratories, Tonopah Test Range, Nevada

Sandia National Laboratories is a multimission laboratory managed and operated by National Technology & Engineering Solutions of Sandia, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Honeywell International Inc., for the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration. The National Nuclear Security Administration’s Sandia Field Office administers the contract and oversees contractor operations at Sandia National Laboratories, Tonopah Test Range. Activities at the site are conducted in support of U.S. Department of Energy weapons programs and have operated at the site since 1957. The U.S. Department of Energy and its management and operating contractor are committed to safeguarding the environment, assessing sustainability practices, and ensuring the validity and accuracy of the monitoring data presented in this annual site environmental report. This report summarizes the environmental protection, restoration, and monitoring programs in place at Sandia National Laboratories, Tonopah Test Range during calendar year 2023. Environmental topics include cultural resource management, chemical management, air quality, ecology, environmental restoration, oil storage, site sustainability, terrestrial surveillance, waste management, water quality, wastewater discharge, and implementation of the National Environmental Policy Act. This report is prepared in accordance with and as required by DOE O 231.1B, Admin Change 1, Environment, Safety and Health Reporting, and has been approved for public distribution.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

1000 Soils Pilot Dataset, version 8, May 2025

This record hosts data generated by the 1000 Soils Pilot. Data will be updated as more become available. Please see the most recent data upload for current data. A beta visualization tool is available for some data types at https://shinyproxy.emsl.pnnl.gov/app/1000soils. Please submit any suggestions or comments through the 'contact' tab. We are actively working to improve visualizations and value all feedback. Data completed include: Geochemistry, texture, respiration, and enzyme activities FTICR-MS organic matter chemistry Microbial biomass C and N TOC/TDN of water-extractable OM X-ray computed tomography (derived metrics available here, raw data available upon request) Metagenomes; a variety of data formats are available upon request Soil hydraulic properties Data in progress: LC-MS/MS in development, timeline TBD, inquire for status 1000S_processed_BGC_summary.csv contains all available biogeochemical data; microbial biomass C and N; and TOC/TDN of water-extractable OM; and 1000S_Tomography.xslx contains a summary of data generated via X-ray computed tomography. icr_v2_corems2.csv contains FTICR-MS data processed by CoreMS version 2. These data are merged by formula across instrument runs to enable cross-sample comparisons. Technical replicates are merged by retaining peaks present in 2 out of 3 replicates. 1000Soils_Metadata_Site_Mastersheet_v1.csv contains site information. Soil Hydraulics_corrected_02042025.xlsx contains soil hydraulics information. Readme File_v4.xlsx is the readme file. Please contact the MONet project (monet.emsl@pnnl.gov) or Emily Graham (emily.graham@pnnl.gov) with questions. The following file and all raw data are available upon request: icr_by_mass_for_single_sample_analysis_only.csv contains FTICR-MS data processed by CoreMS and is intended for usage in the calculation of biochemical transformations within samples only. These data are not acceptable for cross-sample comparison of masses because they are from multiple instrument runs. For more information, please see: https://www.emsl.pnnl.gov/monet and https://sc-data.emsl.pnnl.gov/monet Acknowledgment: Soil data were provided by the Molecular Observation Network (MONet) at the Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory (https://ror.org/04rc0xn13), a DOE Office of Science user facility sponsored by the Biological and Environmental Research program under Contract No. DE-AC05-76RL01830. The work (proposal: 10.46936/10.25585/60008970) conducted by the U.S. Department of Energy, Joint Genome Institute (https://ror.org/04xm1d337), a DOE Office of Science user facility, is supported by the Office of Science of the U.S. Department of Energy operated under Contract No. DE-AC02-05CH11231. The Molecular Observation Network (MONet) database is an open, FAIR, and publicly available compilation of the molecular and microstructural properties of soil. Data in the MONet open science database can be found at https://sc-data.emsl.pnnl.gov/.

biogeochemistry↗

2023 Annual Site Environmental Report for Sandia National Laboratories, Kaua‘i Test Facility, Hawai‘i

Sandia National Laboratories is a multimission laboratory managed and operated by National Technology & Engineering Solutions of Sandia, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Honeywell International Inc., for the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration. The National Nuclear Security Administration’s Sandia Field Office administers the contract and oversees contractor operations at the Sandia National Laboratories Kaua‘i Test Facility in Hawai‘i. Activities at the site are conducted in support of U.S. Department of Energy weapons programs, and the site has operated as a rocket preparation launching and tracking facility since 1962. The U.S. Department of Energy and its management and operating contractor are committed to safeguarding the environment, assessing sustainability practices, and ensuring the validity and accuracy of the monitoring data presented in this annual site environmental report. This report summarizes the environmental protection, restoration, and monitoring programs in place at Sandia National Laboratories, Kaua‘i Test Facility, during calendar year 2023. Environmental topics include cultural resource management, chemical management, air quality, meteorology, ecology, oil storage, site sustainability, terrestrial surveillance, waste management, water quality, wastewater discharge, and implementation of the National Environmental Policy Act. This report is prepared in accordance with and as required by DOE O 231.1B, Admin Change 1, Environment, Safety and Health Reporting, and has been approved for public distribution.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

2023 Site Environmental Report: Volume 1

Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) is managed on behalf of the Department of Energy (DOE) by Brookhaven Science Associates (BSA), a partnership between Stony Brook University and Battelle, and six core universities: Columbia, Cornell, Harvard, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Princeton, and Yale. For over 75 years, the Laboratory has played a lead role in the DOE Science and Technology mission and continues to contribute to the DOE’s missions in energy resources, environmental quality, and national security. BNL manages its world-class scientific research operations with sensitivity to environmental issues and community concerns. The Laboratory’s Environmental, Safety, Security, and Health (ESSH) Policy reflects the commitment of BNL’s management to fully integrate environmental stewardship into all facets of its mission and operations. BNL prepares an annual Site Environmental Report (SER) in accordance with DOE Order 231.1B, Environment, Safety, and Health Reporting. The report is written to inform the public, regulators, employees, and other stakeholders of the Laboratory’s environmental performance during the calendar year in review. Volume I of the SER summarizes environmental data; environmental management performance; compliance with applicable DOE, federal, state, and local regulations; and performance in restoration and surveillance monitoring programs. BNL has prepared annual SERs since 1971 and has documented nearly all its environmental history since the Laboratory’s inception in 1947. Volume II of the SER, the Groundwater Status Report, is also prepared annually to report on the status of groundwater protection and restoration efforts. Volume II includes detailed technical summaries of groundwater data and treatment system operations and is intended for regulators and other technically oriented stakeholders. A summary of the information contained in Volume II is included in Chapter 7, Groundwater Protection, of this volume.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

The Role of Internal Variability in Springtime Arctic Amplification from 1980 to 2022

Arctic amplification (AA) refers to the enhanced warming of the Arctic relative to the global average due to rising greenhouse gases, measured as the ratio of Arctic-mean to global-mean surface air temperature (SAT) trends. From 1980 to 2022, annual-mean AA reached 4.2 (Arctic defined as north of 70°N). Climate models simulate AA but fail to reproduce its magnitude. Sweeney et al. attributed much of this model–observation discrepancy to internal variability. AA shows seasonality and so does the discrepancy. Spring (March–May) shows the largest gap: Observed AA is 4.2, while the multimodel mean is 2.7. This raises several questions: 1) What role does internal variability play in observed spring AA? 2) How does simulated spring AA compare to observations when internal variability is removed? 3) If internal variability is significant, what mechanisms drive it? To address these, we adapted the machine learning algorithm from Sweeney et al., training on simulated multidecadal spring SAT and sea level pressure (SLP) trend maps. Our results show that internal variability enhanced spring Arctic warming by 37% and reduced global warming by 10%. Removing internal variability reconciles the spring AA discrepancy. The estimated internal contribution to Arctic spring warming is supported by an independent dynamical adjustment approach. We identify an atmospheric circulation pattern in observations associated with this internal warming. Observed internal Siberian SAT and SLP trends follow the simulated SAT–SLP relationship but lie at the distribution’s extreme, suggesting models generally underestimate internal variability unless the observed configuration reflects a rare real-world realization.

Arctic↗

Changes in sea ice concentration explain half of the winter warming of the Arctic surface

Arctic winter warming is stronger than in summer, but its driving mechanisms remain debated, particularly the roles of local processes, like sea-ice loss, versus remote factors, like atmospheric heat transport. Here we introduce a novel decomposition framework that characterizes Arctic warming as a function of historical atmospheric circulation, sea ice concentration, and carbon dioxide changes using observational and reanalysis data. We show that sea ice changes explain about 55% of the winter Arctic near-surface temperature trend during 1959–2015, after removing the effects directly connected to atmospheric circulation. Dynamically induced warming accounts for about 20% at surface and up to 80% in mid-troposphere. The remaining ~25% is attributed to the increase in carbon dioxide, though it also indirectly affects sea-ice loss and circulation-related warming. These findings highlight the dominant role of sea ice loss and change in atmospheric dynamics in affecting the historical Arctic winter warming.

Arctic Sea Ice change↗

Retrospective on decadal progress of the NOAA/NPS ocean noise reference station network

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), in partnership with the U.S. National Park Service (NPS), established the Ocean Noise Reference Station Network (NRS) in 2014 as a foundational component of NOAA’s Ocean Noise Strategy. This long-term effort aims to characterize baseline ocean ambient sound conditions across diverse marine environments and to inform management of noise impacts on protected species and habitats within U.S. waters. The NRS is now composed of 13 autonomous passive acoustic monitoring stations strategically positioned across the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), extending from Arctic regions to tropical waters in depths ranging from 33 to 4,790 m. These locations include several National Marine Sanctuaries and National Parks, such as the recently designated Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary off the coast of California. Each station is equipped to continuously sample low-frequency underwater sound at five kHz, enabling the detection of anthropogenic, geophysical, and biological acoustic signals. To date the network has sampled over 72 years of calibrated acoustic data. The spatial breadth and consistent methodology of the NRS allow for comparative acoustic assessments across diverse marine ecosystems. In addition to applied research functions, the NRS has served as a platform for education and training, offering opportunities for students to develop skills for marine science and data analysis. Looking forward, the NRS project team is focused on network expansion, improved data delivery, and broader integration with collaborative scientific initiatives. NRS recordings are being archived in partnership with NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information to enhance accessibility and long-term utility. Efforts are underway to develop standardized metadata and summary products to accompany raw audio files, making the data more usable for a wide range of stakeholders in the ocean science community. The NRS is evolving into a fully integrated national framework for ocean sound monitoring that supports scientific inquiry, management decision-making, national security interests, and public engagement with ocean acoustic environments.

Long-term monitoring↗

Biofouling and Corrosion Study for a Novel Linear Guided Wave Energy Converter (Post Access Report)

The overall objective of this project was to examine the reliability and performance of antibiofouling coatings used for a wave energy converter (WEC) developed by E-Wave Technologies. The particular coatings were selected for their low toxicity and potential compatibility with aquaculture. The aim of this work was to 1) test coating solutions to prevent biofouling growth and saltwater corrosion on the static (paddle and attachment frame surface) components of the WEC that are submerged, 2) determine adhesion of the coatings to system components, and 3) assess the ease and effectiveness of biofouling cleaning to insure long term performance of the system. An analysis of commercial coatings was performed using methods to examine the prevention of biofouling and coating adhesion properties on two key materials of the WEC, which were 316L low carbon marine grade stainless steel (SS) and Ultra High Molecular Weight Polyethylene (PE). Three marine antifouling paints were selected based on their unique properties to test how different paint styles perform on different materials. The selected paints were ePaint Ecominder self-polishing paint with Zinc Omadine for slime control, Pettit ECO HRT Copper-Free ablative antifouling with Econea biocide, and Intersleek 1100SR foul release. Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) prepared PE and SS substrates coated with the three paints and compared the performance against uncoated substrates when submerged in raw seawater for 3-, 6-, and 9-month (m) time periods. Results in adhesion testing indicated that Pettit and ePaint materials clearly bonded strongly to SS, but did not bond comparably well to PE. It was noted during adhesion testing that the Intersleek surfaces were especially difficult to test as the paint highly resists bonding to the epoxy adhesives used with the adherence testing platform. The wear rate of the coatings was not measured under this study; however, based on adhesion testing, coatings in the sliding regions of the Ewave device are expected to wear rapidly. Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) evaluated the adhesion of three different paints to PE and SS substrates which were exposed to a marine environment for time intervals of 0, 3, 6, and 9 months. From qualitative visual analysis of the 3 in2 coupons when pulled from the tank, the 3 in2 coupons generally only appeared to have biofouling consisting of filamentous algae or diatoms, which all have relatively low mass and can be easily wiped from the surface of coupons. Qualitative visual analysis indicated that ECO HRT and Unpainted were consistently worse than Intersleek and Ecominder at all time points. Results provide insight to aid with down-selection of commercial coatings under static conditions to support reliability of the WEC and potential maintenance schedules. This investigation was conducted using small coupon samples suspended in seawater and the development of testing rigs for dynamic component level testing is needed for future work. In addition, the potential toxicity of these commercial coatings on aquaculture has not been determined by this study. One recommendation is to conduct toxicity investigations at the Environmental Toxicity Laboratory at Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

16 TIDAL AND WAVE POWER↗