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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 73 records · Page 4
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2024

Accessing Fungal Contributions to the Birch Effect: Real-Time Respiration from Pore-Scale Microfluidics

Drying and rewetting of soil stimulates soil carbon emission. The Birch effect, driven by these cycles, leads to CO2 efflux, which can be monitored using real-time mass spectrometry (RTMS). Although soil fungi retain water during droughts, their contribution to CO2 release during drying–rewetting cycles remains unclear. In this study, we present the first demonstration of integrating micromodels with RTMS to monitor the Birch effect by simulating drought and rewetting. Micromodels were inoculated with axenic fungal culture and dried to assess moisture retention. After drying, RTMS quantified CO2 release upon rewetting with H218O mixtures. Our results showed that soil fungi released CO2 upon rehydration and immediately utilized the external water source at the pore scale by generating subsequent 46CO2. This work is the first to integrate RTMS with microsystems to investigate pore-scale biogeochemistry and the involvement of fungi in the Birch effect.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2022

Influence of living grass Roots and endophytic fungal hyphae on soil hydraulic properties

Soil hydraulic properties are often estimated based on laboratory data or pedotransfer functions dependent on soil physical properties, which often do not consider potential impacts of soil roots or fungal hyphae. Here, we first review current knowledge of how these soil biotic components affect hydraulic properties, then we conducted laboratory experiments to specifically test if the presence of roots and mycorrhizal fungi had a significant effect on the hydraulic properties of two soils with contrasting textures: Flint sand and Hamblen silt loam. Soil cores were seeded with (Panicum virgatum) and grown in a greenhouse over three separate growth periods. The endophytic fungus Serendipita indica was injected as liquid inoculant into designated mycorrhizal cores. Saturated hydraulic conductivity (K sat ) measurements were made with a constant head permeameter, and soil water retention curves were obtained by the evaporation method, supplemented at the dry end for Hamblen silt loam with water activity meter data. Retention curve parameters were obtained by fitting the van Genuchten equation to the resulting measurements. Mean root volume ratios were higher in the mycorrhizal inoculated treatment than in the uninoculated treatment for both soils. For Flint sand, analysis of variance revealed that K sat was reduced by the presence of roots as compared to bare soil. This was likely due to roots clogging soil pores. Results also indicated the presence of roots changed the shape of the water retention curve for Flint sand by increasing water content at saturation and by reducing the slope of the curve. These changes suggested roots created additional porosity and broadened the pore-size distribution. The presence of mycorrhizal fungi accentuated the root effects. The influence of roots and mycorrhizal fungi on hydraulic properties was less obvious for the Hamblen silt loam, as none of the treatments differed from each other at p < 0.05. The results highlight the necessity to consider the impact of root and fungal structures on models of soil hydraulic properties.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2021

Data from: Quantifying and correcting for pre-assay CO2 loss in short-term carbon mineralization assays

The active fraction of soil organic carbon is an important component of soil health and often is quickly assessed as the pulse of CO2 released by re-wetting dried soils in short-term (24–72 h) assays. However, soils can lose carbon (C) as they dry and, if soil samples vary in moisture content at sampling, differential C loss during the pre-assay dry-down period may complicate the assay's interpretations. We examined the impact of pre-assay CO2 loss in a long-cultivated agricultural soil at initial moisture contents of 30 %, 50 %, and 70 % water-filled pore space (WFPS). We found that 50 % and 70 % WFPS treatments lost more C during drying than did those in the 30 % WFPS treatment and that dry-down losses led to a 26 %–32 % underestimate of their CO2 pulses. We developed a soil-specific correction factor to account for these initial soil moisture effects. Future C mineralization studies may benefit from similar corrections.

Belanger, Matthew↗
DOE OSTI2023

Estimating Vadose Zone Flow Properties at the 100 K-East Soil Flushing Site Using ERT Monitoring Data: 2023 Interim Report - 100 KE Soil Property Estimation

In situ soil flushing is being using at the Hanford 100 K-East (100 KE) area to transport mobile chromium contamination in the vadose zone to the water table, where it can be collected and treat through pump and treat operations. The efficacy of soil flushing is directly related to the volume of clean water that infiltrates through contaminated soils. In practice, it is infeasible to comprehensively monitor which regions of the vadose zone are being infiltrated through direct sampling of pore water. Consequently, there can be significant uncertainty about which regions of the subsurface have been treated, especially if hydrogeologic conditions are favorable for the development of unstable flows and preferred flow pathways through the vadose zone (Jarvis, Koestel, and Larsbo 2016). Current approaches for quantitative monitoring of soil flushing performance rely on contaminant concentration measurements collected from extractions wells. There is no quantitative information on the volume of flush water delivered to targeted regions of the vadose zone at the Hanford Site, leading to significant uncertainty regarding source term removal and long-term impacts to groundwater. If the subsurface hydrogeologic properties at the 100 KE Area were adequately known, qualitative metrics of soil flushing performance could be simulated, thereby negating expenses required to obtain quantitative performance information through borehole drilling/sampling. However, estimating in situ hydrogeologic properties has long proven elusive, due primarily to a lack of sufficient information to constrain heterogeneous property estimates to a useful degree of certainty. Estimating vadose zone hydrogeologic properties is particularly challenging due the dependence of hydraulic conductivity on saturation. This report describes progress toward a first-of-its-kind demonstration using surface time-lapse 3D electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) monitoring data to estimate the hydrogeologic properties that control flush water transport at the 100 KE soil flushing site. The ultimate objective is (1) to verify sufficient information exists in the ERT monitoring data to adequately resolve vadose zone hydraulic properties, and (2) generate a “digital twin” (i.e., a numerical simulator) that can be used to simulate the amount of flush water that has been delivered to each targeted region of the vadose zone, and thereby assess the efficacy of flush water delivery. Resulting performance estimates can be used in leu of comprehensive borehole drilling and direct sampling (or wellbore logging) that would otherwise be required to obtain the same information.

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
DOE OSTI2021

Quantifying and correcting for pre-assay CO 2 loss in short-term carbon mineralization assays

The active fraction of soil organic carbon is an important component of soil health and often is quickly assessed as the pulse of CO 2 released by re-wetting dried soils in short-term (24–72 h) assays. However, soils can lose carbon (C) as they dry and, if soil samples vary in moisture content at sampling, differential C loss during the pre-assay dry-down period may complicate the assay's interpretations. We examined the impact of pre-assay CO 2 loss in a long-cultivated agricultural soil at initial moisture contents of 30 %, 50 %, and 70 % water-filled pore space (WFPS). We found that 50 % and 70 % WFPS treatments lost more C during drying than did those in the 30 % WFPS treatment and that dry-down losses led to a 26 %–32 % underestimate of their CO 2 pulses. We developed a soil-specific correction factor to account for these initial soil moisture effects. Future C mineralization studies may benefit from similar corrections.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2025

Non-Destructive, Three-Dimensional Imaging of Processes in the Rhizosphere Utilizing High Energy Photons

Soil structure, which can be described as the aggregation and distribution of pore spaces, regulates carbon, nutrient, and water cycling across the Earth system. Yet the inability to make quantitative, dynamic, in situ measurements of soil structure and rhizosphere carbon flow has prevented meaningful incorporation of soil structural processes into Earth System Models (ESMs). The key limitations are: (i) Lack of scale integration between micron-scale soil structure and ecosystem-scale models, (ii) Poor functional linkage between soil structural properties and biogeochemical processes, and (iii) Absence of dynamic 3D measurements of rhizosphere structural changes and carbon transformations. To address these challenges, we developed a new integrated positron emission tomography (PET) - microcomputed tomography (CT) imaging platform that enables the first 4D (spatial 3D and time), non-invasive, quantitative imaging of carbon allocation and rhizosphere structural dynamics in living plants and intact soils. The system combines: • Rhizo-PET (R-PET): a high-resolution positron emission tomography scanner optimized for 11 CO 2 tracing in plant roots. • a-Se micro-CT: a high-contrast, high-spatial resolution CT system based on amorphous selenium (a-Se) direct conversion technology, enabling micron-scale visualization of soil structure and root–soil interfaces. Together, these advances allow us to quantify how carbon exudates move, transform, and stabilize within the rhizosphere, directly informing missing processes in BER-relevant carbon cycle models.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2026

Iron as a driver of organic carbon fate in permafrost regions

Iron (Fe) and its biogeochemical interactions with organic carbon (OC) exert critical controls over carbon storage and water quality across Arctic and sub-Arctic landscapes. Permafrost thaw affects Fe–organic carbon interactions by exposing thawed material and driving shifts in hydrologic regimes. Here we propose a conceptual framework describing how Fe–OC interactions respond to permafrost thaw and the implications for global carbon cycling. The framework builds on current understanding of hydrologically driven processes that are altered by permafrost thaw, including microbial Fe reduction that influences OC decomposition and carbon emissions; Fe cycling through redox transformations and sulfide oxidation; dissolution and reprecipitation of Fe–OC assemblages; and Fe export to river networks. We put forward four testable hypotheses—on topics from Fe supply to its role in soil OC storage and transfer to rivers—to advance understanding of the coupled environmental controls on pore-scale reactions (that is, microscale reactions at mineral–water–microorganism interfaces) that are central to global Fe–OC cycling. Our framework highlights how soil-profile- and landscape-scale processes, such as hydrologic connectivity and redox dynamics, regulate pore-scale Fe–OC reactions.

Herndon, Elizabeth [ORNL] (ORCID:0000000291945493)↗
DOE OSTI2022

Data used in manuscript "Quantifying Subsurface Flow and Solute Transport in a Snowmelt-recharged Hillslope with Multiyear Water Balance", submitted to Water Resources Research on 5-26-2022

Data in this package were used to calculate subsurface flow and solute (specifically dissolved nitrogen) transport in the Pumphouse Lower Montane (PLM) hillslope. These data are included in separate CSV files associated with each figure presented in the manuscript. The files describe site locations and elevations, weather data (air temperatures and precipitation), modeled evapotranspiration, time dependent groundwater elevations, calculated annual subsurface flow, hydraulic conductivity values, time trends in subsurface flow within different zones, pore water concentrations of total dissolve nitrogen (TDN), rates of TDN transport, soil water matric potentials following snowmelt, soil water contents during drainage, and evapotranspiration calculated by soil water mass balance versus by CLM4 model.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
NASA NTRS1972

Extraction of an urease-active organo-complex from soil.

Description of an extraction from a Dublin clay loam soil of a colloidal organic matter complex that is urease active and, by X-ray analysis, free of clays. Urease activity in the clay-free precipitates, as in the soil, was not destroyed by the activity of an added proteolytic enzyme, pronase. This is attributed to the circumstance that native soil urease resides in organic colloidal particles with pores large enough for water, urea, ammonia, and carbon dioxide to pass freely, but nevertheless small enough to exclude pronase.

Burns, R. G.↗
DOE OSTI2025

Miscanthus × giganteus increases soil maximum water holding capacity compared to maize

Soil ecosystem services, like the ability to store water, have been depleted after a century of conventional, annual cropping, and perennial crops offer a solution to this and other agricultural environmental issues. We assessed the impact of Miscanthus × giganteus (miscanthus), a perennial biomass crop, on soil water holding capacity and structure compared to continuous maize (Zea mays L.) at two sites in Iowa. After three growing seasons, we measured the following: (1) maximum water holding capacity (MWHC) with and without soil structure, and (2) total porosity and pore size distribution (PSD) via micro-computed tomography (microCT). Miscanthus increased MWHC by 14.7% across both sites relative to maize (p = 0.002), and we attributed this to structural changes due to the lack of a crop effect when measured on structureless soils. No significant changes were detected in soil organic matter, texture, total porosity, or PSD that could explain the increase in MWHC under miscanthus. Our findings suggest that the increases in MWHC are primarily due to structural changes rather than increases in soil organic matter or porosity (at least porosity detectable by microCT). This study highlights miscanthus' potential to enhance soil water storage and underscores the need for further investigation to clarify the mechanisms through which this biomass crop influences soil structural properties.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2020

Algebraic expressions for estimating the impact depths of a surface barrier over a homogeneous soil

Engineered surface barriers are used to isolate subsurface contaminants for effective long-term containment of municipal solid waste, other nonhazardous solid and liquid waste, hazardous and toxic wastes, and radioactive waste. The impact depths of a surface barrier are affected by the pre-barrier recharge rate and the properties of the soil beneath the barrier. In this paper, the pore-size-specific (PSS) water velocity is defined and an algebraic expression of PSS velocity is derived based on the stream tube concept and the Brooks and Corey hydraulic retention model. Algebraic expressions are developed to estimate drainage velocities and barrier impact depths after the emplacement of a surface barrier. Four impact depth terms are used to convey the protective effect: drainage front, average drainage, the location with 50% impact, and drainage tail. The drainage front depth is the deepest point at which the barrier has a detectable impact at a specific time (also called the near zero-impact depth). The average-impact depth is the depth at which average drainage occurs. At the 50% impact depth, the water flux rate is reduced by half because of the surface barrier. Lastly, the drainage tail depth (also called the full-impact depth) is the deepest depth at which the water conditions above it are in equilibrium with the barrier. The algebraic expressions show that the average-impact depth is no more than 1/3 of near zero-impact depth, while the 50% impact depth is slightly larger than 1/2 of the near zero-impact depth. The full-impact depth, depending on the final recharge rate from the surface barrier, is usually much smaller than the other impact depths. These differences lead to a very large transition zone beneath a surface barrier. Numerical simulations were conducted to replicate the same conditions. The numerical results corroborated the analytical models by predicting very similar water content profiles and near zero-, average-, 50%, and full-impact depths. The algebraic expressions provided in this paper are useful for quickly identifying sites where the depth of the existing contaminants could be beyond the protection of a surface barrier.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2021

Bedrock weathering rates, reactive nitrogen influxes and effluxes, and nitrous oxide emissions rates from the Pumphouse Hillslope, East River Watershed, Colorado

Atmospheric nitrous oxide contributes directly to global warming, yet models of the nitrogen cycle do not account for bedrock, the largest pool of terrestrial nitrogen, as a source of nitrous oxide. Although it is known that release rates of nitrogen from bedrock are large, there is an incomplete understanding of the connection between bedrock-hosted nitrogen and atmospheric nitrous oxide. Here, we quantify nitrogen fluxes and mass balances at a hillslope underlain by marine shale. We found that at this site bedrock weathering contributes 78% of the subsurface reactive nitrogen, while atmospheric sources (commonly regarded as the sole sources of reactive nitrogen in pristine environments) account for only the remaining 22%. About 56% of the total subsurface reactive nitrogen denitrifies, including 14% emitted as nitrous oxide. The remaining reactive nitrogen discharges in porewaters to a floodplain where additional denitrification likely occurs. We also found that the release of bedrock nitrogen occurs primarily within the zone of the seasonally fluctuating water table and suggest that the accumulation of nitrate in the vadoes zone, often attributed to fertilization and soil leaching, may also include contributions from weathered nitrogen-rich bedrock. Our hillslope study suggests that under oxygenated and moisture-rich conditions, weathering of deep, nitrogen-rich bedrock makes an important contribution to the nitrogen cycle. The data files are in Excel, which can be accessed using Microsoft Office, and consist of many data sets from the Pumphouse Hillslope PLM (Pumphouse Lower Montane) 1, 2, 3, and 4. They include soil to rock (0-10 meters) solid phase minerals and elements compositions; time- and depth-resolved pore-water chemistry and pore-gas compositions; time- and depth-resolved water table depths and water fluxes; subsurface weathering rates; nitrogen influxes and effluxes and mass balance. The attached paper is in a Word document, which can be accessed using Microsoft Office, and in pdf format.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2024

Hydrological control of chemical weathering and rock-carbon fluxes: East River, Colorado

This data package is used in the manuscript entitled “Hydrological control of chemical weathering and rock-carbon fluxes”. The field study was conducted in a lower montane hillslope of the East River watershed, underlain by Mancos Shale, within the lower 140 m section of a transect that extends nearly 1 km to its local peak. The data in this package, in CSV file format, were collected from Fall 2016 to fall 2021, including depth-resolved dynamic water table depths, subsurface water fluxes, solid phase (soil to bedrock) chemical compositions, geochemical properties of porewater and pore-gas, including radio carbon concentrations. The detailed methods of field studies, laboratory chemical analyses, and calculations are described in the Methods section and in the dataset file: Wan_et_al_Methods.pdf. The dataset additionally includes a file-level metadata (flmd.csv) file that lists each file contained in the dataset with associated metadata; and a data dictionary (dd.csv) file that contains column/row headers used throughout the files along with a definition, units, and data type.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
NASA NTRS1974

Interaction of gases with lunar materials

The surface chemistry of Apollo 17 lunar fines samples 74220 (the orange soil) and 74241 (the gray control soil) has been studied by measuring the adsorption of nitrogen, argon, and oxygen (all at 77 K) and also water vapor (at 20 or 22 C). In agreement with results for samples from other missions, both samples had low initial specific surface areas, consisted of nonporous particles, and were attacked by water vapor at high relative pressure to give an increased specific surface area and create a pore system which gave rise to a capillary condensation hysteresis loop in the adsorption isotherms. In contrast to previous samples, both of the Apollo 17 soils were partially hydrophobic in their initial interaction with water vapor (both samples were completely hydrophilic after the reaction with water). The results are consistent with formation at high temperatures without subsequent exposure to significant amounts of water.

Holmes, H. F.↗
NASA NTRS1974

Some surface properties of Apollo 17 soils

The surface chemistry of Apollo 17 lunar fines samples 74220 (the orange soil) and 74241 (the gray control soil) has been studied by measuring the adsorption of nitrogen, argon, and oxygen (all at -196 C) and also water vapor (at 20 C or 22 C). In agreement with results for samples from other missions, both samples had low initial specific surface areas, consisted of nonporous particles, and were attacked by water vapor at high relative pressures to give an increased specific surface area and create a pore system which gave rise to a capillary condensation hysteresis loop in the adsorption isotherms. In contrast to previous samples, both of the Apollo 17 soils were partially hydrophobic in their initial interaction with water vapor (both samples were completely hydrophilic after the reaction with water). The results are consistent with formation at high temperatures without subsequent exposure to significant amounts of water.

Holmes, H. F.↗
DOE OSTI2022

Comparative uptake, translocation, and plant mediated transport of Tc-99, Cs-133, Np-237, and U-238 in Savannah River Site soil columns for the grass species Andropogon virginicus

Here, this study examines the ability of the grass species Andropogon virginicus to alter the subsurface transport and redistribution of a suite of radionuclides ( 99 Tc, 133 Cs (stable analog for 135 Cs and 137 Cs), 237 Np, 238 U) with varying chemical behaviors in a Savannah River Site soil via the use of vegetated and unvegetated soil columns. After an acclimation period, a small volume of solution containing all radionuclides was introduced into the columns via Rhizon© pore water sampling tubes. Plants were grown for an additional 4 weeks before shoots were harvested, and columns were prepared for sampling. Plant presence led to decreased radionuclide release from the columns, mainly due to radionuclide specific combinations of system hydrology differences resulting from plant transpiration as well as plant uptake. For the most mobile radionuclides, 99 Tc followed by 237 Np, plant presence resulted in significantly different soil concentration profiles between vegetated and unvegetated columns, including notable upward migration for 237 Np in columns with plants. Additionally, plant uptake of 99 Tc was the greatest of all the radionuclides, with plant tissues containing an average of 44 % of the 99 Tc, while plant uptake only accounted for <2 % of 237 Np and <0.5 % of 133 Cs and 238 U in the system. Although overall plant uptake of 133 Cs and 238 U were similar, the majority of 133 Cs taken up by plants was associated with 133 Cs already available in the aqueous phase while 238 U uptake was mainly associated with the solid phase, meaning that plant activity resulted in a fraction of the native 238 U being mobilized and thus, made available for plant uptake. Overall, this study quantified the influence of several plant-mediated physical and biogeochemical factors that have significant influence on radionuclide mobility and transport in this complex system which can be further utilized in future system or site-specific environmental transport and risk assessment models.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
NASA NTRS1983

Mars - A contamination potential?

Three regions on Mars, Solis Lacus, Noachis-Hellespontus, and the Syrtis Major border areas, would appear to have generally less hostile environments than at the Viking lander sites. Significant soil moisture may extend to within about 1 cm of the surface. Water vapor pressures within the pore spaces may be near saturation, and brines may be physically segregated from pockets of relatively pure H2O. Temperatures reach above 0 C during southern spring and summer, with peak temperatures reaching +22 C. These regions should contain fewer oxidants, and primary synthesis of organics may occur. The potential for contamination of these sites by microbes transported from existing spacecraft should be assessed. The adequacy of proposed new planetary protection procedures for possible future United States Mars Surface Sample Return missions should also be assessed in light of these findings.

Huguenin, R. L.↗
DOE OSTI2025

An alternative electrode design for accurate spectral induced polarization measurements in variably saturated porous media

SUMMARY Applications of spectral induced polarization (SIP) require electrodes that maintain hydrologic contact with surrounding soils to capture small electrical responses, often observed as phase shifts in milliradians. For unsaturated soils, electrodes must overcome increased electrical contact impedance due to reduced pore fluid. Traditional designs use a ceramic membrane electrode (CME) with a water reservoir and metal conductor, requiring periodic maintenance to retain electrolytic solution. For field applications where maintenance is impractical, alternative designs are needed. This study evaluated a new electrode design (silica flour electrode, SFE) alongside a CME. SFEs use packed silica flour to store water via capillary forces against a metal conductor. This study examined both designs in three variably saturated soils at soil suctions up to 700 mbar and soil water contents below 1 percent, with SIP measurements across 0.01 to 10 000 Hz frequencies. SFEs match CMEs at high frequencies and perform better at lower frequencies, without requiring ongoing maintenance, making them ideal for field use. In water-only experiments, CMEs produced errors and high noise below 1.5 Hz, whereas SFEs were more accurate. However, CMEs performed better above 300 Hz. In fine sand, SFEs performed better due to the relatively lower contact impedance as compared to CMEs. Both electrode types performed comparably in silty sand and silt loam soils, although CMEs required ongoing maintenance, suggesting potential for long-term reliability issues.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗