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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.

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At least 379 records · Page 21
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2025

Ecovoltaic solar energy development can promote grassland bird communities

Ecologically informed photovoltaic (PV) developments that co-prioritize PV electricity generation with ecosystem function (‘ecovoltaics’) have emerged as a promising land sharing strategy to minimize ecological conflicts associated with PV solar energy development. While habitat-focused ecovoltaic designs can conceptually benefit biodiversity by offsetting or enhancing impacts of PV development, foundational field research is needed to examine how wildlife respond to these novel ecosystems. We conducted passive acoustic monitoring (PAM) in 2023 and 2024 at 13 solar facilities and paired control sites to investigate avian community responses to ecovoltaic facilities in the Midwestern United States. Compared to control sites (row crop agricultural fields), we found that ecovoltaic sites supported more grassland bird species throughout a 17-week monitoring period between May and September. Grassland bird communities on ecovoltaic sites were also more stable than on agricultural controls, as measured by the Jaccard dissimilarity index. We also used PAM-based weekly species occurrences in an occupancy-modelling framework to investigate the influence of PV development and other landscape variables on grassland bird occupancy. 10 out of 13 modelled grassland bird species had greater predicted occupancy probabilities (ψ) on PV sites than control sites. Synthesis and applications. Our findings suggest that properly sited and developed ecovoltaic solar facilities in human altered landscapes can improve habitat for birds and other wildlife, but further research is needed to understand which species may benefit most from these novel ecosystems.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2026

Biochemical characterization of xyloglucan galactosyltransferases MUR3 and XLT2 from Spirodela polyrhiza

Glycosyltransferases (GTs) are the primary enzymes responsible for the biosynthesis of the complex polysaccharides in plant cell walls. Given the important role of GTs in plants, it is necessary to undertake their functional characterization to better understand plant cell wall synthesis pathways to develop improved feedstocks for efficient conversion into fuels and products to support the emerging bioeconomy. The GT47 family in plants represents a unique target for characterization due to the substantial diversity of donor and acceptor substrates observed within a single family. Here, we have carried out the biochemical characterization of MUR3 and XLT2 orthologs from the aquatic monocot Spirodela polyrhiza. Our findings support existing genetic and phylogenetic data classifying these enzymes as regio-specific galactosyltransferases involved in xyloglucan (XyG) sidechain biosynthesis. In addition, we have identified novel characteristics for both enzymes, such as in vitro arabinopyranosyltransferase activity and distinctiveness in xyloglucan reducing end specificity.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2025

Two novel Patescibacteria: Phycocordibacter aenigmaticus gen. nov. sp. nov. and Minusculum obligatum gen. nov. sp. nov., both associated with microalgae optimized for carbon dioxide sequestration from flue gas

The functional roles of bacterial symbionts associated with microalgae remain understudied despite the importance of microalgae in biotechnology and environmental microbiology. 16S rRNA gene sequencing was conducted to analyze bacterial communities associated with two microalgae optimized for growth with flue gas containing 5%–10% CO 2 . Two dominant bacteria with no taxonomic classification beyond the class level (Paceibacteria) were discovered repeatedly in the most productive algal cultures. Long-read metagenomic sequencing was conducted to yield high-quality metagenomes, from which two novel species were discovered under the Seqcode (seqco.de/r:ywe1blo2), Phycocordibacter aenigmaticus gen. nov. sp. nov. and Minusculum obligatum gen. nov. sp. nov. The genus Phycocordibacter gen. nov. was proposed as the nomenclatural type of the family Phycocordibacteraceae fam. nov. and the order Phycocordibacterales ord. nov. Both bacteria possessed features typical of Patescibacteria such as reduced genomes (<800 kbp), lack of complete glycolysis and tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle pathways, and inability to synthesize amino acids. Instead, they rely on the reductive pentose phosphate pathway (Calvin cycle) for essential biosynthesis and redox balance. P. aenigmaticus may also rely on elemental sulfur oxidation (sdo), partial nitrite reduction (nirK), and sulfur-related amino acid metabolism (SAMe → SAH). Both bacteria were found in high relative abundance in cultures of Tetradesmus obliquus HTB1 (freshwater) and Nannochloropsis oceanica IMET1 (marine), suggesting a tight association with microalgae in various environments. The absence of full metabolic pathways for energy production suggests extreme metabolic limitations and obligate symbiosis, most likely with other bacteria associated with the microalgae.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2025

Aerosol biome of a cafeteria and medical facility in Los Alamos, New Mexico, USA

Aerosol sampling with next-generation sequencing was used to characterize microbial communities in a cafeteria and medical facility waiting room in Los Alamos, New Mexico, USA. We detected sequences from human, bacteria, archaea, fungi, other eukaryotes, and viruses, providing insights into the diversity of the aerosol microbiome.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2024

Improved Zika virus plaque assay using Vero/TMPRSS2 cell line

Plaque assay is the gold standard for the quantification of viable cytopathic viruses like Zika virus (ZIKV). Some strains of ZIKV produce plaques that are very difficult to accurately visualize and count on the commonly used Vero cell line. From data generated in our lab, we became curious if Vero/TMPRSS2 cells may be a better alternative; therefore, we compared the plaque forming units of two strains of ZIKV on Vero/TMPRSS2 cells to those produced by Vero cells. We also compared the virus stock titer generated on Vero/TMPRSS2 cells to that generated by the Vero cell line. Although the Vero cells generated higher quantity of ZIKV stocks, the Vero/TMPRSS2 cells produced plaques with significantly improved morphology and visibility and may, therefore, be a better alternative to use for performing plaque assays for strains of ZIKV that are more difficult to titer on regular Vero cells.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2025

Tunturi virus isolates and metagenome-assembled viral genomes provide insights into the virome of Acidobacteriota in Arctic tundra soils

Arctic soils are climate-critical areas, where microorganisms play crucial roles in nutrient cycling processes. Acidobacteriota are phylogenetically and physiologically diverse bacteria that are abundant and active in Arctic tundra soils. Still, surprisingly little is known about acidobacterial viruses in general and those residing in the Arctic in particular. Here, we applied both culture-dependent and -independent methods to study the virome of Acidobacteriota in Arctic soils. Five virus isolates, Tunturi 1–5, were obtained from Arctic tundra soils, Kilpisjärvi, Finland (69°N), using Tunturiibacter spp. strains originating from the same area as hosts. The new virus isolates have tailed particles with podo- (Tunturi 1, 2, 3), sipho- (Tunturi 4), or myovirus-like (Tunturi 5) morphologies. The dsDNA genomes of the viral isolates are 63–98 kbp long, except Tunturi 5, which is a jumbo phage with a 309-kbp genome. Tunturi 1 and Tunturi 2 share 88% overall nucleotide identity, while the other three are not related to one another. For over half of the open reading frames in Tunturi genomes, no functions could be predicted. To further assess the Acidobacteriota-associated viral diversity in Kilpisjärvi soils, bulk metagenomes from the same soils were explored and a total of 1881 viral operational taxonomic units (vOTUs) were bioinformatically predicted. Almost all vOTUs (98%) were assigned to the class Caudoviricetes. For 125 vOTUs, including five (near-)complete ones, Acidobacteriota hosts were predicted. Acidobacteriota-linked vOTUs were abundant across sites, especially in fens. Terriglobia-associated proviruses were observed in Kilpisjärvi soils, being related to proviruses from distant soils and other biomes. Approximately genus- or higher-level similarities were found between the Tunturi viruses, Kilpisjärvi vOTUs, and other soil vOTUs, suggesting some shared groups of Acidobacteriota viruses across soils. This study provides acidobacterial virus isolates as laboratory models for future research and adds insights into the diversity of viral communities associated with Acidobacteriota in tundra soils. Predicted virus-host links and viral gene functions suggest various interactions between viruses and their host microorganisms. Largely unknown sequences in the isolates and metagenome-assembled viral genomes highlight a need for more extensive sampling of Arctic soils to better understand viral functions and contributions to ecosystem-wide cycling processes in the Arctic.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2024

Dose optimization of an adjuvanted peptide-based personalized neoantigen melanoma vaccine

The advancements in next-generation sequencing have made it possible to effectively detect somatic mutations, which has led to the development of personalized neoantigen cancer vaccines that are tailored to the unique variants found in a patient’s cancer. These vaccines can provide significant clinical benefit by leveraging the patient’s immune response to eliminate malignant cells. However, determining the optimal vaccine dose for each patient is a challenge due to the heterogeneity of tumors. To address this challenge, we formulate a mathematical dose optimization problem based on a previous mathematical model that encompasses the immune response cascade produced by the vaccine in a patient. We propose an optimization approach to identify the optimal personalized vaccine doses, considering a fixed vaccination schedule, while simultaneously minimizing the overall number of tumor and activated T cells. To validate our approach, we perform in silico experiments on six real-world clinical trial patients with advanced melanoma. We compare the results of applying an optimal vaccine dose to those of a suboptimal dose (the dose used in the clinical trial and its deviations). Our simulations reveal that an optimal vaccine regimen of higher initial doses and lower final doses may lead to a reduction in tumor size for certain patients. Our mathematical dose optimization offers a promising approach to determining an optimal vaccine dose for each patient and improving clinical outcomes.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2024

teemi: An open-source literate programming approach for iterative design-build-test-learn cycles in bioengineering

Synthetic biology dictates the data-driven engineering of biocatalysis, cellular functions, and organism behavior. Integral to synthetic biology is the aspiration to efficiently find, access, interoperate, and reuse high-quality data on genotype-phenotype relationships of native and engineered biosystems under FAIR principles, and from this facilitate forward-engineering strategies. However, biology is complex at the regulatory level, and noisy at the operational level, thus necessitating systematic and diligent data handling at all levels of the design, build, and test phases in order to maximize learning in the iterative design-build-test-learn engineering cycle. To enable user-friendly simulation, organization, and guidance for the engineering of biosystems, we have developed an open-source python-based computer-aided design and analysis platform operating under a literate programming user-interface hosted on Github. The platform is called teemi and is fully compliant with FAIR principles. In this study we apply teemi for i) designing and simulating bioengineering, ii) integrating and analyzing multivariate datasets, and iii) machine-learning for predictive engineering of metabolic pathway designs for production of a key precursor to medicinal alkaloids in yeast. The teemi platform is publicly available at PyPi and GitHub.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2024

Intraspecific variability in plant and soil chemical properties in a common garden plantation of the energy crop Populus

Optimizing crops for synergistic soil carbon (C) sequestration can enhance CO 2 removal in food and bioenergy production systems. Yet, in bioenergy systems, we lack an understanding of how intraspecies variation in plant traits correlates with variation in soil biogeochemistry. This knowledge gap is exacerbated by both the heterogeneity and difficulty of measuring belowground traits. Here, we provide initial observations of C and nutrients in soil and root and stem tissues from a common garden field site of diverse, natural variant, Populus trichocarpa genotypes—established for aboveground biomass-to-biofuels research. Our goal was to explore the value of such field sites for evaluating genotype-specific effects on soil C, which ultimately informs the potential for optimizing bioenergy systems for both aboveground productivity and belowground C storage. To do this, we investigated variation in chemical traits at the scale of individual trees and genotypes and we explored correlations among stem, root, and soil samples. We observed substantial variation in soil chemical properties at the scale of individual trees and specific genotypes. While correlations among elements were observed both within and among sample types (soil, stem, root), above-belowground correlations were generally poor. We did not observe genotype-specific patterns in soil C in the top 10 cm, but we did observe genotype associations with soil acid-base chemistry (soil pH and base cations) and bulk density. Finally, a specific phenotype of interest (high vs low lignin) was unrelated to soil biogeochemistry. Our pilot study supports the usefulness of decade-old, genetically-variable, Populus bioenergy field test plots for understanding plant genotype effects on soil properties. Finally, this study contributes to the advancement of sampling methods and baseline data for Populus systems in the Pacific Northwest, USA. Further species- and region-specific efforts will enhance C predictability across scales in bioenergy systems and, ultimately, accelerate the identification of genotypes that optimize yield and carbon storage.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2024

Biogeochemical consequences of microbial evolution under drought (Final technical report)

As the climate changes, droughts may become more severe. Scientists are uncertain about how drought will affect the natural world, particularly the bacteria, fungi, and other microbes that live in soils and control the Earth’s flows of carbon and nutrients. Researchers at the University of California, Irvine, and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory teamed up to study how microbes at the soil surface change with drought and what that means for the carbon cycle. Since 2007, the researchers have used shelters with retractable roofs to prevent nearly half of normal rainfall from reaching grass and shrub landscapes, and their soil microbiomes, in Southern California.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2024

Water foraging with dynamic roots in E3SM; The role of roots in terrestrial ecosystem memory on intermediate timescales (Final Technical Report)

Terrestrial ecosystems can show sustained responses to stress events that may last for years after the initial perturbation. This phenomenon is referred to as legacy or memory and it emerges from a set of ecosystem processes that are poorly captured by Earth System and Land Surface Models. Consequently, these models struggle to predict the impact that extreme climate events have on surface energy, carbon and hydrological exchange once a stressor such as drought has relaxed or in response to repeated exposure to stress. In this project, we set out to test how the addition of dynamic root profiles in land surface models impact the capacity for Earth System Models, such as the Department of Energy’s E3SM, to capture realistic legacy effects. Observations have shown that vegetation shifts their root profiles during stress events to forage for water and these altered root profiles may take years to relax back to the initial state. We hypothesized that the alteration of the belowground root structures may be a source of terrestrial ecosystem legacy that is missing from models. To test this idea we undertook three core activities. (1) We developed a global-scale analysis of the impact of dynamic roots on ecosystem legacy building from a recently developed dynamic root module. (2) We developed new root dynamics in the DOE’s Energy Land Model (ELM) that allowed not only root profiles to shift their profile but also simultaneously alter carbon allocation to fine root pools. We then tested the impact of these new dynamics with intensive sensitivity analysis at four long-term AmeriFlux sites. (3) We undertook detailed isotopic analysis of tree rings from these AmeriFlux sites to assess ecophysiological and ecohydrological legacy to stress events that can be used to benchmark the sensitivity experiments with ELM. From these core activities, we report the following key findings. Firstly, on a global scale, the addition of dynamic roots led to chronically water-stressed ecosystems recovering faster to climate stress while wetter ecosystem showed enhanced legacy. This is because across ecosystems, stress events were almost universally associated with water shortages that led to the development of deeper root profiles. These deeper root profiles proved beneficial for recovery from drought stress. While the root dynamics did not universally improve the modeled representation of legacy it showed complex transient dynamics that emerge from the addition of dynamic roots. Secondly, the sensitivity analysis illustrated long term shifts in rooting depths away from the prescribed default profile suggesting that initializing of root profiles could benefit from spin-up simulations that converge on locally optimized root profiles. In addition, by enabling dynamic allocation some of the sites predicted unrealistically low allocation to roots (and high allocation to leaves). While these changes did not dramatically alter modeled gross primary productivity, they illustrated that without more sophisticated root processes in models, there is little penalty to dramatically disinvest in roots. Thirdly, the isotopic analysis of tree rings showed highly distinct legacy responses across species and sites. For example, T. canadensis showed reduced transpiration the year after stress events illustrated by sustained elevated $\delta^{18}$O. In contrast, A saccharum displayed elevated $\delta^{13}$C associated with reduced stomatal conductance in response to the previous years’ stress event. These geochemical signatures of legacy were present despite tree growth returning to normal the year after the stress. The results show the importance of species-level dynamics in legacy that are absent in modeling that assumes common traits within plant functional types. In summary, the work here established new avenues to explore root dynamics in models while illustrating how additional root processes are needed before dynamic carbon allocation can be implemented. Lastly, this project provided mentorship to a postdoctoral fellow, training for an early career scientist and multiple undergraduate students recruited from a minority serving institution.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2024

2023 Project Peer Review Report

The Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO) within the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy supports the research, development, and demonstration (RD&D) of technologies aimed at mobilizing domestic renewable carbon resources for the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions across the U.S. economy. BETO systematically prioritizes RD&D into technology opportunities across a range of emerging scientific breakthroughs and technology readiness levels in the subprogram areas illustrated in Figure 1. This approach supports a diverse portfolio while developing the most promising and widely applicable technologies, testing technologies as integrated processes, and demonstrating integrated processes to support scale-up. These technologies will use a broad variety of renewable carbon resources to produce increasing volumes of biofuels and bioproducts. More information on BETO’s mission, goals, and strategic approaches can be found in the Bioenergy Technologies Office Multi-Year Program Plan. The biennial Peer Review process enables external stakeholders to provide feedback on the responsible use of taxpayer funding and develop recommendations for the most efficient and effective ways to accelerate the development of a bioenergy industry. This report includes the results of the Project Peer Review meeting held on April 3–7, 2023, in Denver, Colorado.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗
DOE OSTI2024

Invasive Plant Species Management Plan for Los Alamos National Laboratory (Rev.3)

Native species are plants and animals that continually occupy a natural range without direct or indirect introduction and/or care by humans. They are adapted to the environmental conditions and processes of the ecosystem in which they reside. A species introduced into a novel ecosystem can either exploit that ecosystem and thrive or be unable to survive in that ecosystem (Hobbs et al. 2006). Alien or non-native species are species that are intentionally or accidentally introduced into a novel ecosystem and are capable of living and propagating within the physical parameters of that ecosystem. Invasive species is a species that is non-native (or alien) to the ecosystem under consideration and a noxious species are those whose introduction causes or is likely to cause economic or environmental harm. The term invasive species is applicable to plants and animals alike; however, this invasive species management plan currently focuses on invasive vegetation. Invasive plant species are usually capable of rapid colonization of disturbed ground, such as after a change in wildfire regime intensity and frequency (Reilly et al. 2020) or anthropogenic ground disturbance (Burke and Grime 1996; Hobbs and Huenneke 1992). Climate change facilitates the spread and establishment of many alien species and creates new opportunities for them to become invasive (Turbelin and Catford 2021). As climate change impacts increase in the coming decades, we may see in an increase in invasive species establishment. See a list of definitions of terms pertinent to this document in Appendix A: Definitions. Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) hosts populations of non-native and invasive species all typical of the northern New Mexico region (Martin 2004; NMDA 2020). By implementing an invasive species management plan, LANL will have readily accessible management strategies for invasive species that are found on-site. The benefits of managing invasive species include a decrease in wildland fire risks, an increase in soil productivity, an increase in (productive or beneficial) wildlife habitat, an increase in water quantity and quality, and the restoration of impacted areas (Burke and Grime 1996; Hobbs and Huenneke 1992; D’Antonio and Hobbie 2005; MacDougall et al. 2013; Reilly et al. 2020). The aforementioned benefits from invasive species management directly enable the LANL mission by ensuring compliance requirements are met and site-wide programs, such as the Vulnerability Assessment and Resilience Plan, are supported for a mutually beneficial outcome. An example for the LANL site specifically, controlling non-native annual plant species, for example, could reduce the costs associated with stabilizing soils during the stormwater pollution prevention compliance process. Roadway and utility right-of-way areas are another place where an integrated vegetation management strategy would promote low growing perennial plants in a way that is mutually beneficial to habitat and the institution through lowered maintenance costs. There is also an economic benefit to managing invasive species. In one nationwide study, invasive plants had an estimated impact cost of $190.45 billion (Fantel-Lepczyk et al. 2022). Investing in preventative measures and surveillance could help to offset future control and management costs of invasive species that have the potential to become established. The State of New Mexico has developed plant species lists and recommendations through the New Mexico Department of Agriculture’s Noxious Weeds Management Act, Article 7D (NM Statute § 76-7D-4 2021); however, effective invasive species management must rely on local knowledge of the site and region. Los Alamos County (LAC) has already compiled a target invasive plant species list and species-specific management objectives (Martin 2004). Therefore, the New Mexico Noxious Weed List and the LAC invasive plant species list, as well as management objectives from those documents, are integrated into LANL’s invasive plant species management plan.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2024

Soil Sensors in Agriculture: From Unsustainable to Biodegradable

Commercially available bi-metallic temperature sensors have long exploited differential thermal expansions between materials to produce an actuation-induced readout from a bi-metal helix. When dispersed in agricultural land, electronic components are used to transmit information at the cost of an increased environmental footprint. This paper briefly recaps the proposed sensor, which employs a biodegradable bi-material helix composed of a polymer and metal. Proposed polymer sheetings of cellulose acetate and polylactic acid are characterized via TGA, DMA, and DSC to evaluate plasticizer content, shrinkage, and an appropriate sensor work-use range. Finally, the deflection of non-biodegradable bi-polymer strips is quantified for various combinations to determine if bi-polymer deflection is possible.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗
DOE OSTI2024

Tree rings reveal the transient risk of extinction hidden inside climate envelope forecasts

Given the importance of climate in shaping species’ geographic distributions, climate change poses an existential threat to biodiversity. Climate envelope modeling, the predominant approach used to quantify this threat, presumes that individuals in populations respond to climate variability and change according to species-level responses inferred from spatial occurrence data—such that individuals at the cool edge of a species’ distribution should benefit from warming (the “leading edge”), whereas individuals at the warm edge should suffer (the “trailing edge”). Using 1,558 tree-ring time series of an aridland pine (Pinus edulis) collected at 977 locations across the species’ distribution, we found that trees everywhere grow less in warmer-than-average and drier-than-average years. Ubiquitous negative temperature sensitivity indicates that individuals across the entire distribution should suffer with warming—the entire distribution is a trailing edge. Species-level responses to spatial climate variation are opposite in sign to individual-scale responses to time-varying climate for approximately half the species’ distribution with respect to temperature and the majority of the species’ distribution with respect to precipitation. These findings, added to evidence from the literature for scale-dependent climate responses in hundreds of species, suggest that correlative, equilibrium-based range forecasts may fail to accurately represent how individuals in populations will be impacted by changing climate. A scale-dependent view of the impact of climate change on biodiversity highlights the transient risk of extinction hidden inside climate envelope forecasts and the importance of evolution in rescuing species from extinction whenever local climate variability and change exceeds individual-scale climate tolerances.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2024

2024 NMDC Ambassador Training Materials [Slides]

The NMDC is a sustainable data discovery platform that promotes open science and shared-ownership across a broad and diverse community of researchers, funders, publishers, societies, and other collaborators. The NMDC aims to enable multi-omic microbiome research to accelerate scientific discovery. The NMDC is a Department of Energy funded program that is a collaboration between 3 National Laboratories: Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL).

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2024

VA EDH Data Curation Documentation (FY24-Q3)

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) places the health and well-being of our nation’s veterans as its top priority. VA is dedicated to offering timely access to high-quality, evidence-based mental health care that meets the needs of veterans and supports their reintegration into society. One of our core missions is to prevent suicide among veterans through innovative approaches and resources. Health outcomes, including suicide, are typically influenced by both genetics and environmental factors, such as air quality, transportation access, food availability, homelessness, and more. Mental health outcomes are associated with various stressors across socioeconomic, economic, and physical environments. Analyzing the connections between these stressors, covariates, and health outcomes relies on standardized data, which can be integrated into models like the VA’s Recovery Engagement and Coordination for Health, Veterans Enhanced Treatment (REACH VET). The World Health Organization (WHO) defines Environmental Determinants of Health (EDH) as factors like clean air, stable climate, water and sanitation, chemical safety, radiation protection, safe workplaces, sustainable agriculture, healthy urban environments, and nature preservation, all of which are crucial for good health.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2024

DOE BSSD Performance Management Metrics Report Q3

Microbiome data is complex, spanning information from microbial genomes within diverse communities, protein and metabolite readouts, and contextual information (metadata) captured from the environments from which these samples were collected. While the variety and scale of microbiome data generation has dramatically expanded over the past twenty years, infrastructure to support data management, sharing, and access has lagged. New ways to improve interoperability across existing resources and advancing community standards are necessary to support how researchers create, use, and reuse data. The National Microbiome Data Collaborative (NMDC) aims to advance a microbiome data sharing network through infrastructure, data standards, and community building.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗