Search NASA⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search NASA

Results for “Gulf Coast”

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 91 records · Page 5
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2021

Automated Detection of Instability-Inducing Channel Geometry Transitions in Saint-Venant Simulation of Large-Scale River Networks

A new sweep-search algorithm (SSA) is developed and tested to identify the channel geometry transitions responsible for numerical convergence failure in a Saint-Venant equation (SVE) simulation of a large-scale open-channel network. Numerical instabilities are known to occur at “sharp” transitions in discrete geometry, but the identification of problem locations has been a matter of modeler’s art and a roadblock to implementing large-scale SVE simulations. The new method implements techniques from graph theory applied to a steady-state 1D shallow-water equation solver to recursively examine the numerical stability of each flowpath through the channel network. The SSA is validated with a short river reach and tested by the simulation of ten complete river systems of the Texas–Gulf Coast region by using the extreme hydrological conditions recorded during hurricane Harvey. The SSA successfully identified the problematic channel sections in all tested river systems. Subsequent modification of the problem sections allowed stable solution by an unsteady SVE numerical solver. The new SSA approach permits automated and consistent identification of problem channel geometry in large open-channel network data sets, which is necessary to effectively apply the fully dynamic Saint-Venant equations to large-scale river networks or for city-wide stormwater networks.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2021

Assessing and mapping extreme wave height along the Gulf of Mexico coast

The effect of extreme waves on the coastal community includes inundation, loss of habitats, increasing shoreline erosion, and increasing risks to coastal infrastructures (e.g., ports, breakwaters, oil and gas platforms), important for supporting coastal resilience. The coastal communities along the US Gulf of Mexico are very low-lying, which makes the region particularly vulnerable to impacts of extreme waves generated by storm events. We propose assessing and mapping the risks from extreme waves for the Gulf of Mexico coast to support coastal resiliency planning. The risks will be assessed by computing n-year recurring wave height (e.g., 1, 5, 50, 100-year) using 32-year wave hindcast data and various extreme value analysis techniques including Peak- Over-Threshold and Annual Maxima method. The characteristics of the extreme waves, e.g., relations between the mean and extreme wave climates, directions associated with extreme waves, will be investigated. Hazard maps associated with extreme wave heights at different return periods will be generated to help planners identify potential risks and envision places that are less susceptible to future storm damage.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2025

Characterization of Field-Exposed Photovoltaic Modules Featuring Signs of Contact Degradation

Here, this work investigates several photovoltaic (PV) modules that have shown signs of metal contact corrosion due to field exposure in a hot and humid climate. This includes two multicrystalline silicon aluminum back surface field systems with 10 and 14 years of exposure and one monocrystalline silicon passivated emitter and rear cell system with four years of exposure. A comprehensive, multiscale characterization process is used to evaluate these PV modules in great detail. Current–voltage (I−V), Suns-V OC measurements, electroluminescence imaging, infrared imaging, and ultraviolet fluorescence imaging were performed, and locations of interest were cored and analyzed using cross-sectional scanning electron microscopy (SEM). A rigorous, quantitative analysis procedure for the cross-sectional SEM images is proposed and implemented. Careful characterization does reveal that some of these PV modules do indeed exhibit the same classic signs of acetic-acid-based corrosion of the glass frit that is present at the silver/silicon interface, which have been observed previously in PV modules exposed to damp heat in an environmental chamber.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2025

How some tropical trees benefit from being struck by lightning: evidence for Dipteryx oleifera and other large‐statured trees

Lightning strikes kill hundreds of millions of trees annually, but their role in shaping tree life history and diversity is largely unknown. Here, in this study, we use data from a unique lightning location system to show that some individual trees counterintuitively benefit from being struck by lightning. Lightning killed 56% of 93 directly struck trees and caused an average of 41% crown dieback among the survivors. However, among these struck trees, 10 direct strikes caused negligible damage to Dipteryx oleifera trees while killing 78% of their lianas and 2.1 Mg of competitor tree biomass. Nine trees of other long-lived taxa survived lightning with similar benefits. On average, a D. oleifera tree > 60 cm in diameter is struck by lightning at least five times during its lifetime, conferring these benefits repeatedly. We estimate that the ability to survive lightning increases lifetime fecundity 14-fold, largely because of reduced competition from lianas and neighboring trees. Moreover, the unusual heights and wide crowns of D. oleifera increase the probability of a direct strike by 49–68% relative to trees of the same diameter with average allometries. These patterns suggest that lightning plays an underappreciated role in tree competition, life history strategies, and species coexistence.

competition↗
DOE OSTI2022

Mudstone Baffles and Barriers in Lower Cretaceous Strata at a Proposed CO 2 Storage Hub in Kemper County, Mississippi, United States

The Cretaceous and Tertiary deposits in Mississippi, Alabama, and the adjacent continental shelf constitute a widespread succession of sandstone, mudstone, and carbonate that has proven to be an important target for geologic CO 2 storage in the onshore Gulf of Mexico basin. Integrated analysis of stratigraphy, sedimentology, and reservoir properties based on cores and geophysical well logs indicates that the Paluxy Formation and Washita- Fredericksburg interval present gigatonne-class storage opportunities. The distribution, geometry, and composition of the area is a direct reflection of the original depositional environments, and understanding these factors is essential for understanding the geologic storage potential of the Paluxy Formation and Washita-Fredericksburg interval at the Kemper County energy facility in Mississippi. Geologic characterization of the Mississippi Embayment at the energy facility focused primarily on characterizing the confinement potential of the storage complex. Integration of core analyses and geophysical well logs has yielded a high-resolution stratigraphic analysis of storage reservoirs, baffles, barriers, and seals. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) coupled with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), and quantitative X-ray diffraction (XRD) was used to characterize microfabric, pore types, and mineralogy within mudstone of the east-central Mississippi Embayment at the Kemper County energy facility. Mudstone beds in the Paluxy Formation and Washita-Fredericksburg interval have variable thickness and continuity. High water saturation in the Cretaceous mudstone units influences swelling smectite clay and mudrock permeability based on pulse decay analysis is 1–96 nD. These low permeability values indicate that the mudstone units are effective baffles, barriers, and confining intervals that make significant migration of injected CO 2 out of the storage complex unlikely. The numerous baffles and barriers within the target reservoir intervals, moreover, favor the retention of multiple CO 2 in plumes within the abundant stacked sandstone bodies.

03 NATURAL GAS↗
DOE OSTI2023

Intensification of Hurricane Sally (2020) over the Mississippi River Plume

Abstract Tropical Cyclone (TC) Sally formed on 11 September 2020, traveled through the Gulf of Mexico (GMX), and intensified rapidly before making landfall on the Alabama coast as a devastating category-2 TC with extensive coastal and inland flooding. In this study, using a combination of observations and idealized numerical model experiments, we demonstrate that the Mississippi River plume played a key role in the intensification of Sally near the northern Gulf Coast. As the storm intensified and its translation slowed before landfall, sea surface cooling was reduced along its track, coincident with a pronounced increase in SSS. Further analysis reveals that TC Sally encountered a warm Loop Current eddy in the northern GMX close to the Mississippi River plume. Besides deepening the thermocline, the eddy advected low-salinity Mississippi River plume water into the storm’s path. This resulted in the development of strong upper-ocean salinity stratification, with a shallow layer of freshwater lying above a deep, warm “barrier layer.” Consequently, TC-induced mixing and the associated sea surface cooling were reduced, aiding Sally’s intensification. These results suggest that the Mississippi River plume and freshwater advection by the Loop Current eddies can play an important role in TC intensification near the U.S. Gulf Coast.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2024

New species and records of the symbiotic shrimp genus Leptalpheus Williams, 1965, with notes on Fenneralpheus Felder & Manning, 1986, and preliminary molecular analysis of phylogenetic relationships (Crustacea: Decapoda: Alpheidae)

The shrimp genera Leptalpheus Williams, 1965 and Fenneralpheus Felder & Manning, 1986 are composed entirely of symbiotic species that co-inhabit burrows of infaunal macrocrustaceans. We report extensive collections of these genera from western Atlantic, eastern Pacific and Indo-West Pacific regions. Integrative taxonomy methods, including morphological comparisons and analysis of three mitochondrial genetic markers, are used to test species hypotheses and evolutionary relationships among members of these genera. Our molecular analysis failed to recover Leptalpheus or Fenneralpheus as monophyletic groups. Our results strongly supported the monophyly of three clades composed of species of Leptalpheus, loosely corresponding to previously proposed species groups. Three new species closely related to Leptalpheus forceps Williams, 1965, L. marginalis Anker, 2011, and L. mexicanus Ríos & Carvacho, 1983 are described. Leptalpheus ankeri n. sp., from the Caribbean Sea, Atlantic coast of Florida, and Gulf of Mexico, is a polymorphic species that exhibits two major cheliped morphotypes. Leptalpheus sibo n. sp., from the Pacific coast of Nicaragua, is morphologically very similar to L. ankeri n. sp., likely its transisthmian sister species, and shares its cheliped polymorphism. A reassessment of L. forceps concluded that records of this species from the Caribbean Sea and Brazil are not conspecific with L. forceps sensu stricto from the Atlantic coast of the USA and the Gulf of Mexico, and they are herein described as Leptalpheus degravei n. sp. Based on both molecular and morphological evidence, we found Leptalpheus bicristatus Anker, 2011 to be a junior synonym of L. mexicanus and Leptalpheus canterakintzi Anker & Lazarus, 2015 to be a junior synonym of Leptalpheus azuero Anker, 2011. First reports of Leptalpheus axianassae Dworschak & Coelho, 1999 in Texas and Mexico, Leptalpheus denticulatus Anker & Marin, 2009 in the Mariana Islands, Leptalpheus felderi Anker, Vera Caripe & Lira, 2006 and Leptalpheus lirai Vera Caripe, Pereda & Anker, 2021 in the USA, and Leptalpheus pereirai Anker & Vera Caripe, 2016 in Cuba are included.

Zoology↗
DOE OSTI2023

Mapping existing wellbore locations to compare technical risks between onshore and offshore CCS activities in Texas

Carbon dioxide capture and geologic storage (CCS; geologic sequestration) is a promising technology for reducing anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions to the atmosphere from industrial point sources. Aspects of CCS have been investigated for over two decades, and many large- and small-scale geologic storage field demonstration projects are now underway globally. Interest in offshore CCS has been increasing in recent years (e.g., European Union, Australia, Japan, and the United States). Deep geologic storage in offshore settings is analogous to onshore CCS activities in many respects (i.e., geologic and geotechnical aspects), but is distinct from previously explored seabed sediment CO 2 storage) or deep marine dissolution). Given the large subsurface geologic storage volumes available in offshore settings, much discussion of offshore CCS is focused on the benefits and risks of such activity compared to onshore settings. Similar to onshore settings, existing (legacy) wells likely present the most direct migration pathway and largest risk of noncontainment in offshore settings. As part of current studies to evaluate geologic storage options in offshore settings along the Texas coast and greater Gulf of Mexico (GoM), mapping of the geographic distribution and ages of wells in a region containing coastal counties and extending 30 miles offshore Texas indicates that both well spatial density and well age decrease moving from onshore to offshore. Results suggest reduced risk of leakage owing to more rigorous and documented well completion and abandonment practices for these generally younger wells (although many are decades old). A result of decreased well density is that larger areas are available for leasing for CCS projects that avoid legacy wells altogether (> 1 mile from any existing well). The one-mile designation is used as an arbitrary convention, and while it is recognized that this is smaller than a typical area of review (AoR) for permitting, each site will have a different AoR radius for consideration. Finally, the combination of large subsurface storage volumes under control of a single landowner and reduced risks from legacy wells makes offshore CCS attractive in the GoM.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2025

Reestablishing larval connectivity in an estuarine landscape: the importance of shoreline and subtidal oysters ( Crassostrea virginica ) in a comprehensive oyster restoration program

The decline of oyster reefs in estuaries has resulted from a combination of chronic and acute disturbances. The loss has resulted in decreased yield for the oyster fishery as well as a decline in ecological benefits that has led to increased efforts to restore oyster reefs. The need for scientific guidance in accomplishing these restoration goals has become even more pressing in the northcentral Gulf of Mexico in the wake of injury to oyster reefs resulting from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Restoration of both the shallow, marsh-fringing oyster aggregations and the deeper subtidal oyster reefs is necessary. Historically, fringing oysters have been overlooked in the oyster habitat landscape because of their limited commercial value. Here, we use a biophysical transport model to examine the transport and settlement of oyster larvae in known oyster reefs along the coast of the northcentral Gulf of Mexico. The modeling demonstrated that the majority of oyster larvae settle within the embayment (>98%) or sub-basin (>65%) of their origin. Additionally, the model demonstrated the importance of fringing oysters as a source of larvae to re-seed other fringing oysters along marsh edges as well as subtidal oyster reefs. We conclude that networks of reefs, including both fringing oyster habitat and subtidal oyster reefs within sub-basins, are necessary to provide resilience to the population at the sub-basin level. Finally, we conclude that fringing oyster habitat may serve as an archipelago-like network to enhance larval supply and connectivity for oysters throughout the mesosaline portions of estuaries.

ADCIRC↗
DOE OSTI2023

Increased U.S. coastal hurricane risk under climate change

Several pathways for how climate change may influence the U.S. coastal hurricane risk have been proposed, but the physical mechanisms and possible connections between various pathways remain unclear. Here, future projections of hurricane activity (1980–2100), downscaled from multiple climate models using a synthetic hurricane model, show an enhanced hurricane frequency for the Gulf and lower East coast regions. The increase in coastal hurricane frequency is driven primarily by changes in steering flow, which can be attributed to the development of an upper-level cyclonic circulation over the western Atlantic. The latter is part of the baroclinic stationary Rossby waves forced mainly by increased diabatic heating in the eastern tropical Pacific, a robust signal across the multimodel ensemble. Last, these heating changes also play a key role in decreasing wind shear near the U.S. coast, further aggravating coastal hurricane risk enhanced by the physically connected steering flow changes.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2026

Reference floating wind array designs for three representative regions

This work presents the systematic development of three open-source reference floating wind array designs. The designs are tailored to representative site conditions for three regions of the United States: Humboldt Bay off the coast of California, the Gulf of Maine, and the Gulf of America. We adopted existing reference designs for the individual 15 MW turbines, semisubmersible floating platforms, substations, mooring systems, and power cables – integrating and adapting them as needed for each location. We adapted existing dynamic cable designs to use larger conductor sizes to meet the arrays' power transmission requirements, and we set up redundant mooring systems for each substation. The layout of each array is a uniform-grid design optimized to approximately minimize the levelized cost of energy (LCOE) within a square lease area while satisfying spatial constraints. These constraints ensure adequate clearances between adjacent turbines and between underwater components during the layout optimization to prevent clashing and ensure that all components reside within the lease boundaries. Substations are included to allow accounting for intra-array cable costs. They are placed within the uniform grid to maintain the navigability of the arrays. For each feasible layout considered, annual energy production and cable routing costs are calculated and updated in the LCOE objective function. After the optimization, we refined the cable routing with a mix of algorithmic and manual methods to ensure that the cables avoid mooring system components and approach the substation with adequate clearances. We confirmed the suitability of each reference array's layout by comparing the wake losses at each wind heading angle to the wind rose, observing that the optimized layouts largely avoid wake losses in the predominant wind directions. These reference arrays provide open-source baseline designs to enable future research and innovation of floating wind technology at the array scale.

17 WIND ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2023

A scalable wave resource assessment methodology: Application to U.S. waters

Waves deliver large quantities of energy to populated coastlines around the world, and wave energy technology research and development has accelerated over the last two decades. Throughout this time national and regional resource assessments have utilized disparate methodologies, which can cause confusion and skepticism. Here, in this work, we describe a theoretical wave resource assessment methodology that addresses many of the major areas of inconsistency and debate. Applying this revised methodology to U.S. waters, we find the theoretical U.S. wave energy resource to be 3300 TWh/yr, with region totals of 2000 TWh/yr in Alaska, 510 TWh/yr along the U.S. west coast, 380 TWh/yr in Hawaii, 290 TWh/yr along the east coast, 69 TWh/yr in the Gulf of Mexico, and 17 TWh/yr in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. We also find significant uncertainty in these estimates associated with the underlying model dataset, which emphasizes the importance of thorough model validation and calibration as well as quantifying uncertainty.

16 TIDAL AND WAVE POWER↗
DOE OSTI2025

Characterization of Gulf Stream energy resources: A 30-year high-resolution simulation study

The strength and proximity of the Gulf Stream (GS) along the U.S. coast offers opportunities for marine energy extraction. Leveraging high-resolution (up to 400 m) long-term (30-year) hindcasts based on an unstructured grid model, this study characterizes the energy potential of the GS in two viable locations: the Florida Straits (FS) and Cape Hatteras (CH). Results reveal distinct characteristics in the kinetic energy flux (KEF) and kinetic energy density (KED) for the two regions. The 30-year mean KEF at CH is 27.50 GW, surpassing the 19.74 GW estimated for the FS, which is attributed to the wider cross-section of the GS in CH. Additionally, CH exhibits higher KEF variability due to GS’s larger path shifts and meanders. Estimated KEDs at ADCP site locations reach up to 2,908 W/m 2 in the FS and 1,512 W/m 2 in the CH at a depth of 20 m. High-energy zones are closer to shore in the FS, whereas energy-rich areas at CH are located further offshore. A depth-based KED analysis shows significant decreases across typical energy extraction depths (20 to 100 m), with reductions up to 44%. Finally, this study provides high-resolution resource characterization, forming a foundation for optimized site selection and marine hydrokinetic system design.

16 TIDAL AND WAVE POWER↗
DOE OSTI2020

Dominant Wave Energy Systems and Conditional Wave Resource Characterization for Coastal Waters of the United States

Opportunities and constraints for wave energy conversion technologies and projects are evaluated by identifying and characterizing the dominant wave energy systems for United States (US) coastal waters using marginal and joint distributions of the wave energy in terms of the peak period, wave direction, and month. These distributions are computed using partitioned wave parameters generated from a 30 year WaveWatch III model hindcast, and regionally averaged to identify the dominant wave systems contributing to the total annual available energy ( A A E ) for eleven distinct US wave energy climate regions. These dominant wave systems are linked to the wind systems driving their generation and propagation. In addition, conditional resource parameters characterizing peak period spread, directional spread, and seasonal variability, which consider dependencies of the peak period, direction, and month, are introduced to augment characterization methods recommended by international standards. These conditional resource parameters reveal information that supports project planning, conceptual design, and operation and maintenance. The present study shows that wave energy resources for the United States are dominated by long-period North Pacific swells (Alaska, West Coast, Hawaii), short-period trade winds and nor’easter swells (East Coast, Puerto Rico), and wind seas (Gulf of Mexico). Seasonality, peak period spread, and directional spread of these dominant wave systems are characterized to assess regional opportunities and constraints for wave energy conversion technologies targeting the dominant wave systems.

16 TIDAL AND WAVE POWER↗
DOE OSTI2024

Considerations for Offshore-Wind-to-Hydrogen Systems in the United States

This presentation investigates the complexities involved in designing and siting offshore wind-to-hydrogen plants across the United States. It examines the integration of offshore wind farms with electrolysis facilities to produce green hydrogen, highlighting the technical, region-specific characteristics, and economic factors that influence project feasibility and success. The study presents four representative regions around the United States, two fixed-bottom locations and two floating locations: the New York Bight, Gulf of Mexico, Gulf of Maine and off the northern coast of California. Additionally, it assesses two energy transmission configurations - centralized onshore and offshore electrolysis - for the years 2025, 2030, and 2035.

ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY,HYDROGEN,WIND↗
DOE OSTI2023

Salt Diapir‐Driven Recycling of Gas Hydrate

Abstract By harnessing both hypothetical, synthetic basin and gas hydrate (GH) system models and real‐world models of well‐studied salt diapir‐associated GH sites at Green Canyon (Gulf of Mexico) and Blake Ridge (U.S. Atlantic coast), we propose and demonstrate salt movement (and in particular, diapirism) to be a new mechanism for the recycling of marine GH. At Green Canyon, for example, we show that by considering this newly proposed diapir‐driven recycling mechanism in conjunction with previously proposed lithological control on sandy‐reservoir‐hosted hydrate at the base of the GH stability zone (BGHSZ; ∼bottom‐simulating reflector, BSR), modeled GH saturations match drilling data. Overall, salt diapir movement‐induced GH recycling provides a temperature‐driven mechanism by which GH saturations at the BGHSZ may reach >90 vol. % and by which GH volumes near and free gas volumes beneath the BGHSZ may be increased significantly through time. Interestingly, comparison of salt diapir‐driven recycling and sediment burial‐driven recycling scenarios suggests notably higher rates of recycling via diapir‐driven versus burial‐driven processes. Our results suggest that GH and associated free gas accumulations above salt diapir crests represent particularly attractive targets for unconventional and conventional hydrocarbon resource exploration and for scientific and academic drilling expeditions aimed at exploiting GH systems. Salt basins containing GH systems—including passive margin basins of the Gulf of Mexico, southeastern Brazil, and southwestern Africa—are therefore compelling localities for studying salt‐driven GH recycling and for salt diapir‐associated natural gas exploration.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2026

Evaluating the effect of meso/submesoscale current–wave interactions on wave energy resource characterization at northeast U.S. coast

Wave energy is a promising renewable resource, but accurate assessment is difficult in regions with strong currents due to wave–current interactions (WCI). Here, this study develops a two-way coupled WCI model within the Coupled Ocean Atmosphere Wave Sediment Transport (COAWST) framework at 2 km resolution to improve wave energy characterization along the northeastern U.S. coast, including the Mid-Atlantic Bight and Gulf of Maine. The model integrates WaveWatchIII (WWIII) and the Regional Ocean Modeling System (ROMS) to enhance wave hindcasting by accounting for Doppler-shift, refraction, and nonlinear energy exchanges. Validation against buoy and satellite observations confirms model accuracy. Analysis shows that Doppler-shifting can alter wave power density by over 20%, while strong current gradients and shear distort wave crests via focusing/defocusing and stretching/squeezing, modifying wave direction and frequency. These processes together can induce wave power fluctuations of up to 40% on synoptic scales. Applying a 2.5 MW Ocean Energy Converter power matrix shows that WCI may change harvested energy by up to 100% in shallow-waters and 60% in deep-waters. These results underscore the importance of incorporating nonlinear WCI for reliable wave climate predictions and resource assessments in energetic coastal regions.

doppler-shift↗
DOE OSTI2021

Continental-Scale Geographic Trends in Barometric-Pumping Efficiency Potential: A North American Case Study

Barometric pumping is a gas transport mechanism that has important implications for many applications involving subsurface gas seepage processes. Here, this study provides the first continental-scale analysis of barometric-pumping efficiency potential based on meteorology. We quantified the barometric-pumping efficiency potential at 1,257 locations across the continental US and Canada. The results provide continental-scale geographic dependencies of barometric-pumping efficiency potential, indicating a significant correlation with latitude and a nonlinear dependence on longitude. The analysis also indicates that variability in barometric-pumping efficiency potential decreases with distance from the coast and as elevation increases. Locations far from the coastline are more likely to have upper mid-range potentials, while higher elevation locations are more likely to have low potentials. The highest barometric-pumping efficiency potentials are mostly found around the Gulf of St. Lawrence around 50°N. Locations along the Atlantic coast exhibit large-scale variations in potentials with a clear increasing trend with latitude.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗