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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 127 records · Page 7
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2026

Thermokinetic mixing compounding for polymer composites – a comprehensive review

High-speed thermokinetic mixers (K-mixers) represent an advanced compounding technology that employs intense shear and friction to convert kinetic energy directly into thermal energy. This mechanism enables rapid mixing cycles, often under one minute, facilitating exceptional filler dispersion while minimizing the material’s thermal history. This is particularly effective for compounding challenging materials, including heat-sensitive biopolymers, wet filler feedstocks, and nanofillers prone to agglomeration. As the first comprehensive review of this technology, this article synthesizes the fundamental principles of thermokinetic mixing (K-mixing) and surveys recent advances in polymer composite fabrication. We contrast the working principles of K-mixers with conventional twin-screw extrusion, highlighting distinct advantages in dispersing nanoscale fillers, exfoliating layered materials, and processing wet cellulosic feedstocks and ultra-high filler loadings (e.g., 85 wt%). Furthermore, strategies to optimize filler–matrix interfacial bonding under rapid-processing constraints, such as the kinetic selection of compatibilizers and fiber surface treatments, are evaluated. Finally, we analyze key structure-processing-property relationships and outline future directions in scaling up, reactive processing, and hybrid material development.

Zhang, Xuefeng [University of Maine]↗
DOE OSTI2025

Heating effects on jack pine pyrogenic organic matter properties from a pyrocosm study in 2022

This dataset contains data associated with the preprint “Fire removes preexisting pyrogenic organic matter from the ecosystem through the mechanisms of both direct combustion and increasing mineralizability” (Luo et al., 2025b), which is the complementary study to the published paper “Reburning pyrogenic organic matter: a laboratory method for dosing dynamic heat fluxes from above” (Luo et al., 2025a). We designed a full-factorial experiment with different burial depths of jack pine (Pinus banksiana Lamb) pyrogenic organic matter (PyOM) (Surface, 1 cm, and 5 cm) and different heat-flux profiles (High, Low, and Control) to examine how subsequent fires affect the properties of preexisting PyOM. We measured total carbon (C), pH, dissolved organic carbon (DOC), dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC), and mineralized C (as CO₂-C, from a 12-week incubation).We found that high heat flux and/or surface placement resulted in substantial direct C losses through combustion. Intermediate heat exposure produced both combustion losses and increases in DOC and mineralizability, which may have complex long-term implications: an increased dissolved fraction of PyOM may promote downward transport into mineral soils and potentially contribute to deeper, longer-term C storage, but it may also make PyOM more susceptible to microbial decomposition. Under the lowest heat flux and deepest burial, most PyOM was retained, and changes in DOC and C mineralization were minimal. Finally, PyOM pH, an important chemical property, decreased under low-temperature heating but increased under higher temperatures.We uploaded pH data for all samples (“pH_of_all_samples.csv”); pH and temperature-related data (peak temperature and degree hours) for samples in High and Low heat-flux treatments (“pH_vs_peakT_and_degree_hours_only_for_heated_samples.csv”); total C data (“CN_pct_C_stock_C_loss_in_samples.csv”); DOC and DIC data (“doc_dic.csv”); and mineralized C (CO₂-C) data (“CO2-C_all_original.csv”). Additional details can be found in the Methods & Sampling section.All datasets uploaded to ESS-DIVE are clearly labeled, cleaned, and include both raw and derived data, ready for reuse in other analyses. All analysis code and raw datasets are also available on GitHub: https://github.com/MengmengLuo/Fire-removes-preexisting-pyrogenic-organic-matter-from-the-ecosystem.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
NASA NTRS2012

Global Characterization and Monitoring of Forest Cover Using Landsat Data: Opportunities and Challenges

The compilation of global Landsat data-sets and the ever-lowering costs of computing now make it feasible to monitor the Earth's land cover at Landsat resolutions of 30 m. In this article, we describe the methods to create global products of forest cover and cover change at Landsat resolutions. Nevertheless, there are many challenges in ensuring the creation of high-quality products. And we propose various ways in which the challenges can be overcome. Among the challenges are the need for atmospheric correction, incorrect calibration coefficients in some of the data-sets, the different phenologies between compilations, the need for terrain correction, the lack of consistent reference data for training and accuracy assessment, and the need for highly automated characterization and change detection. We propose and evaluate the creation and use of surface reflectance products, improved selection of scenes to reduce phenological differences, terrain illumination correction, automated training selection, and the use of information extraction procedures robust to errors in training data along with several other issues. At several stages we use Moderate Resolution Spectroradiometer data and products to assist our analysis. A global working prototype product of forest cover and forest cover change is included.

Global↗
DOE OSTI2019

Life cycle assessment of biochar produced from forest residues using portable systems

Forest fires are getting extreme and more frequent because of increased fuel loads in the forest and extended dry conditions. Fuel treatment (i.e., thinning) methods to mitigate forest fires will generate large volumes of forest residues together with available logging residues that can be used to produce biochar. It has been proposed that portable biochar systems are economical means to utilize forest residues as an alternative to slash burning. In this study, the environmental impacts of biochar produced from forest residues using three portable systems [1. Biochar Solutions Incorporated (BSI), 2. Oregon Kiln, and 3. Air-curtain Burner] were evaluated using a cradle-to-gate life-cycle assessment approach. Environmental impacts were analyzed considering the various quality of feedstock, biomass collection methods, different production sites, and various sources of power used in the production of biochar. The results illustrate that the global warming potential (GWP) of biochar production from forest residues through BSI, Oregon Kiln, and Air-Curtain Burner were 0.25–0.31, 0.11, and 0.16 tonne CO 2 eq./tonne of fixed carbon in biochar respectively. Compared to pile burn, biochar production from forest residues with a portable system at the landing, reduced global warming potential (GWP) by 1.92–2.83, 2.7, and 1.9 tonnes CO 2 eq./tonne of biochar through BSI, Oregon Kiln, and Air-Curtain Burner respectively. The Air-Curtain Burner and Oregon Kiln have minimal feedstock preparation, thus have lower environmental impacts than the BSI system. The BSI system requires feedstock preparation and power to operate the system. The use of the biomass-gasifier generator improved the environmental performance substantially (16–280%) compared with a diesel generator in biochar production. Overall, the net GWP in biochar produced (0.10–1.63 tonne CO 2 eq./tonne of residues) from forest residues can reduce environmental impacts (2–40 times lower net CO 2 eq. emissions) compared to slash burning.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2020

Litter Production of Oak-Hickory Forest at Missouri Ozark (MOFLUX) Site: 2003-2022

This dataset contains measurements of litter production at the second-growth upland oak-hickory forest at the Missouri Ozark AmeriFlux (MOFLUX) site. The MOFLUX site is located in the University of Missouri Baskett Forest situated in the Ozark Border Region of central Missouri, USA, and is part of the AmeriFlux network (site ID: US-MOz). During 2003, 24 circular vegetation plots (each 0.08 hectares) were established in the MOFLUX forest. The plots were situated 50 meters apart on 5 linear transects radiating out from the flux tower base in southeast, south, southwest, west, and northwest directions—there were 5 plots per transect except for the northwest one, which had only 4 due to the presence of a small pond at the terminus (Fig. 1). Litter measurements were initiated in October 2003 and continue to the present. Data through 2022 are reported in this dataset. On each plot, two subplots were established for the collection of litter. Subplots were setup using a stratified random design to ensure the collectors were not immediately adjacent to one another. Litter collectors were usually emptied at monthly intervals, or less during the autumn leaf drop. Samples were dried to constant mass and then sorted before determining the dry mass of leaf, vegetative and woody litter. These litter data have been valuable in modeling efforts to examine the impacts of intensifying moisture extremes (i.e., moisture excess and deficit conditions) on soil carbon cycling. More recent data will be added periodically with no changes to previously released data or the format and structure of the data file. This dataset contains one data file in comma separate (.csv) format. Additional metadata are provided: one data dictionary and a file-level metadata file in comma separate (.csv) format and a user guide in PDF (*.pdf) format.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2026

Influence of plateau, slope, and valley on soil hydrology during the dry season in a Central Amazon old‐growth forest

Soil moisture regulates plant water supply and drought sensitivity in tropical forests, yet its vertical and topographic variation remains poorly characterized. We combined high-frequency time-domain reflectometry measurements from 5 to 100 cm across plateau, slope, and valley landforms at the Zona Florestal 2 research site north of Manaus, Central Amazonia, to quantify how soil moisture memory, timing of responses to rainfall, dry-down rates (τ), and soil–water depletion vary across these contrasting landforms. Landform-specific soil moisture calibration curves ensured accurate volumetric water content estimates in these highly weathered soils. During the 2023 dry-to-wet transition (August–November), soil moisture memory showed strong topographic contrasts, with valley profiles increasing from ∼47 h at 5 cm to ∼154 h at 100 cm, while plateaus exhibited higher near-surface persistence (∼124 h at 5 cm) but weaker memory at depth. Dry-down behavior reinforced these differences as valley soils exhibited τ values exceeding ∼200 h, more than double the characteristic τ of plateau soils (∼90 h). Rainfall–soil moisture correlations indicated immediate responses at shallow depths in valleys and progressively longer lags with depth on plateaus and slopes. These hydrologic patterns were mirrored in depletion profiles, which declined sharply below 30 cm on plateaus but remained high and sustained throughout the upper meter in slopes and valleys. Together, these findings provide the first depth-resolved field measurements of soil moisture memory, rainfall coupling, dry-down constants, and depletion dynamics across major upland landforms in Central Amazonia and offer clear observational benchmarks for improving land-surface and ecosystem model representations of soil–water processes.

Hillslope↗
DOE OSTI2020

Active layer depth and soil properties impact specific leaf area variation and ecosystem productivity in a boreal forest

Specific leaf area (SLA, leaf area per unit dry mass) is a key canopy structural characteristic, a measure of photosynthetic capacity, and an important input into many terrestrial process models. Although many studies have examined SLA variation, relatively few data exist from high latitude, climate-sensitive permafrost regions. We measured SLA and soil and topographic properties across a boreal forest permafrost transition, in which dominant tree species changed as permafrost deepened from 54 to >150 cm over 75 m hillslope transects in Caribou-Poker Creeks Research Watershed, Alaska. We characterized both linear and threshold relationships between topographic and edaphic variables and SLA and developed a conceptual model of these relationships. We found that the depth of the soil active layer above permafrost was significantly and positively correlated with SLA for both coniferous and deciduous boreal tree species. Intraspecific SLA variation was associated with a fivefold increase in net primary production, suggesting that changes in active layer depth due to permafrost thaw could strongly influence ecosystem productivity. While this is an exploratory study to begin understanding SLA variation in a non-contiguous permafrost system, our results indicate the need for more extensive evaluation across larger spatial domains. These empirical relationships and associated uncertainty can be incorporated into ecosystem models that use dynamic traits, improving our ability to predict ecosystem-level carbon cycling responses to ongoing climate change.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
NASA NTRS2012

Role of MODIS Vegetation Phenology Products in the U.S. for Warn Early Warning System for Forest Threats

U.S. forests occupy approx 751 million acres (approx 1/3 of total land). Several abiotic and biotic damage agents disturb, damage, kill, and/or threaten these forests. Regionally extensive forest disturbances can also threaten human life and property, bio-diversity and water supplies. timely regional forest disturbance monitoring products are needed to aid forest health management work at finer scales. daily MODIS data provide a means to monitor regional forest disturbances on a weekly basis, leveraging vegetation phenology. In response, the USFS and NASA began collaborating in 2006 to develop a Near Real Time (NRT) forest monitoring capability, based on MODIS NDVI data, as part of a national forest threat Early Warning System (EWS).

Spruce, Joseph↗
DOE OSTI2025

Functional but not taxonomic diversity increases productivity of Populus in the southeastern United States

Plant interactions like competition and facilitation impact ecosystem function and resilience. Improving our understanding of the relationships between these interactions and community productivity has important implications for managers of production systems in forestry and agriculture as well as conservation science. Populus spp. are an excellent model system for exploring how inter‐ and intraspecific interactions impact ecosystem functions, such as productivity, in forest plantations. In this study, we compared aboveground productivity of six Populus clones from three different taxa grown in monoclonal and mixed‐clonal plots. The different mixture treatments were intended to experimentally test aboveground biomass response to contrasting levels of taxonomic diversity and functional diversity based on nitrogen use characteristics of Populus clones. We hypothesize that functional diversity would be more important than taxonomic diversity in increasing aboveground productivity of mixed‐clonal plantings compared to monocultures. In addition, a subset of treatments was carried out on additional sites representing a productivity gradient in order to determine if the relationship between biodiversity and productivity in these systems diminished at more productive sites as suggested by the stress‐gradient hypothesis. We found that functionally diverse mixtures of clones had greater yield of aboveground biomass than the average of their constituent monocultures, while more taxonomically diverse mixes of clones did not differ from the average of their constituent monocultures. However, when reestablished on sites with extremely high or low productivity, the best performing clone mixture also did not differ from the average of its constituent monocultures. Our results suggest that intimate clone mixtures of Populus have the potential to significantly increase productivity, but results vary by mixture and by site. To capitalize on positive biodiversity effects on yield in production systems, targeted mixtures based on divergent functional traits linked to different use and acquisition strategies for site‐specific limiting resources are most likely to be successful.

BEF↗
DOE OSTI2025

Enhanced Boundary Layer Height Detection Using Ceilometer, Surface Meteorology, and Radiation Products With a Random Forest Ensemble Method

This study develops and evaluates a Random Forest (RF) model for estimating planetary boundary layer height (PBLH) using 9 years of data from the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Southern Great Plains (ARM SGP) user facility, with potential application in the NOAA Surface Radiation (SURFRAD) Network. The model integrates ceilometer, surface meteorology, and radiation measurements, and is trained using thermodynamic PBLH estimates derived from radiosondes. This approach aims to bridge gaps between aerosol-based and thermodynamic-based PBLH estimates. The RF model outperformed traditional methods during daytime and better captured transition periods, demonstrating improved accuracy and robustness. At ARM SGP, it showed a substantial reduction in both bias and RMSE, with a bias near zero (−4.9 m) compared with traditional Haar Wavelet (HW) (70.9 m) and Vaisala BL-View software (124.1 m), and an RMSE of 303.2 m, lower than both BL-View (566.9 m) and HW (404.6 m). During daytime hours, RF consistently outperformed both alternatives, maintaining lower bias and RMSE across all periods. At a second evaluation site, RF achieved the lowest overall RMSE (323.7 m), similar to HW (326.4 m) and significantly better than BL-View (738.3 m). However, all models showed reduced accuracy under stable nighttime conditions, limiting the reliability of PBLH estimates. Key predictors for the model included the lifting condensation level height (LCLH), aerosol gradients, and month for seasonal variability. The study underscores the potential of integrating machine learning with multiple data sets such as surface energy and thermodynamic data to advance PBLH estimation.

boundary layer height↗
DOE OSTI2022

Climate Forcing & Feedbacks by Fires, Forests, Fossil Energy & Food Production: Observations are Key to Predictions [Slides]

Human emitted GHGs (long lived, cumulative) that trap more heat (IR) and aerosols (short lived, steady) that reflect sunlight (Vis) have altered Earth’s radiation budget and warmed our climate measurably and predictably. Our complex dynamic climate system has trapped 400 ZettaJ (10 21 ) and has many positive feedbacks. Regions are changing at unprecedented rates and crossing thresholds as BAU will lock us into 8.5 W m -2 in 2100.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
NASA NTRS1986

Interpreting forest and grassland biome productivity utilizing nested scales of image resolution and biogeographical analysis

Data acquisition, initial site characterization, image and geographic information methods available, and brief evaluations of first-year for NASA's Thematic Mapper (TM) working group are presented. The TM and other spectral data are examined in order to relate local, intensive ecosystem research findings to estimates of carbon cycling rates over wide geographic regions. The effort is to span environments ranging from dry to moist climates and from good to poor site quality using the TM capability, with and without the inclusion of geographic information system (GIS) data, and thus to interpret the local spatial pattern of factors conditioning biomass or productivity. Twenty-eight TM data sets were acquired, archived, and evaluated. The ERDAS image processing and GIS system were installed on the microcomputer (PC-AT) and its capabilities are being investigated. The TM coverage of seven study areas were exported via ELAS software on the Prime to the ERDAS system. Statistical analysis procedures to be used on the spectral data are being identified.

Iverson, L. R.↗
NASA NTRS2012

Role of MODIS Vegetation Phenology Products in the ForWarn System for Monitoring of Forest Disturbances in the Conterminous United States

This presentation discusses MODIS vegetation phenology products used in the ForWarn Early Warning System (EWS) tool for near real time regional forest disturbance detection and surveillance at regional to national scales. The ForWarn EWS is being developed by the USDA Forest Service NASA, ORNL, and USGS to aid federal and state forest health management activities. ForWarn employs multiple historical land surface phenology products that are derived from MODIS MOD13 Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) data. The latter is temporally processed into phenology products with the Time Series Product Tool (TSPT) and the Phenological Parameter Estimation Tool (PPET) software produced at NASA Stennis Space Center. TSPT is used to effectively noise reduce, fuse, and void interpolate MODIS NDVI data. PPET employs TSPT-processed NDVI time series data as an input, outputting multiple vegetation phenology products at a 232 meter resolution for 2000 to 2011, including NDVI magnitude and day of year products for seven key points along the growing season (peak of growing season and the minima, 20%, and 80% of the peak NDVI for both the left and right side of growing season), cumulative NDVI integral products for the most active part of the growing season and sequentially across the growing season at 8 day intervals, and maximum value NDVI products composited at 24 day intervals in which each product date has 8 days of overlap between the previous and following product dates. MODIS NDVI phenology products are also used to compute nationwide NRT forest change products refreshed every 8 days. These include percent change in forest NDVI products that compare the current NDVI from USGS eMODIS products to historical MODIS MOD13 NDVI. For each date, three forest change products are produced using three different maximum value NDVI baselines (from the previous year, three previous years, and all previous years). All change products are output with a rainbow color table in which forests with the most severe NDVI decreases are assigned hot colors (yellow to red) and forests with prominent NDVI increases are assigned cold colors (blue tones). All mentioned products have been integrated as data layers into ForWarn s geospatial data viewer known as the U.S. Forest Change Assessment Viewer (FCAV). The latter is used to view and assess the context of the mentioned forest change products with respect to ancillary data layers, such as land cover, elevation, hydrologic features, climatic data, storm data, aerial disturbance surveys, fire data, and land ownership. The FCAV also includes a temporal NDVI profiler for viewing phenological change in multi-year NDVI associated with known or suspected regionally apparent forest disturbances (e.g., from fire and insects). ForWarn forest change products have been used to detect, track, and assess several biotic and abiotic regional forest disturbance events across the country, including ephemeral and longer lasting damage from storms, drought, and insects. Such change products are most effective for viewing severe disturbances affecting multiple MODIS pixels. MODIS vegetation phenology products contribute vital current information on forest conditions to the ForWarn system and this role is expected to grow as these products are refined and derivative products are added.

Spruce, Joseph P.↗
DOE OSTI2022

Emerging signals of declining forest resilience under climate change

Forest ecosystems depend on their capacity to withstand and recover from natural and anthropogenic perturbations (that is, their resilience). Experimental evidence of sudden increases in tree mortality is raising concerns about variation in forest resilience, yet little is known about how it is evolving in response to climate change. Here we integrate satellite-based vegetation indices with machine learning to show how forest resilience, quantified in terms of critical slowing down indicators, has changed during the period 2000–2020. We show that tropical, arid and temperate forests are experiencing a significant decline in resilience, probably related to increased water limitations and climate variability. By contrast, boreal forests show divergent local patterns with an average increasing trend in resilience, probably benefiting from warming and CO 2 fertilization, which may outweigh the adverse effects of climate change. These patterns emerge consistently in both managed and intact forests, corroborating the existence of common large-scale climate drivers. Reductions in resilience are statistically linked to abrupt declines in forest primary productivity, occurring in response to slow drifting towards a critical resilience threshold. Approximately 23% of intact undisturbed forests, corresponding to 3.32 Pg C of gross primary productivity, have already reached a critical threshold and are experiencing a further degradation in resilience. Together, these signals reveal a widespread decline in the capacity of forests to withstand perturbation that should be accounted for in the design of land-based mitigation and adaptation plans

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2024

Future climate doubles the risk of hydraulic failure in a wet tropical forest

Summary Future climate presents conflicting implications for forest biomass. We evaluate how plant hydraulic traits, elevated CO 2 levels, warming, and changes in precipitation affect forest primary productivity, evapotranspiration, and the risk of hydraulic failure. We used a dynamic vegetation model with plant hydrodynamics (FATES‐HYDRO) to simulate the stand‐level responses to future climate changes in a wet tropical forest in Barro Colorado Island, Panama. We calibrated the model by selecting plant trait assemblages that performed well against observations. These assemblages were run with temperature and precipitation changes for two greenhouse gas emission scenarios (2086–2100: SSP2‐45, SSP5‐85) and two CO 2 levels (contemporary, anticipated). The risk of hydraulic failure is projected to increase from a contemporary rate of 5.7% to 10.1–11.3% under future climate scenarios, and, crucially, elevated CO 2 provided only slight amelioration. By contrast, elevated CO 2 mitigated GPP reductions. We attribute a greater variation in hydraulic failure risk to trait assemblages than to either CO 2 or climate. Our results project forests with both faster growth (through productivity increases) and higher mortality rates (through increasing rates of hydraulic failure) in the neo‐tropics accompanied by certain trait plant assemblages becoming nonviable.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
NASA NTRS1982

Natural hydrocarbon emission estimates based on Landsat data as an input to a regional ozone photochemical model

Landsat-derived forest cover data were employed with non-methane hydrocarbon (NMHC) emission rates in a model to quantify summer forest ozone production for the Tidewater Region of Virginia. The areal extent of the three major forest types - coniferous, deciduous, and mixed - were determined from Landsat data on two adjacent scenes, using an unsupervised approach to spectral signature development. The forest type results from both data sets were verified in an extensive accuracy assessment and merged to provide regional statistics for total acreages, percent forest, and error rates. The Landsat statistics were incorporated into forest type emission factor equations to produce an estimated emission rate for natural hydrocarbons from forests. This estimate, along with measured rates for nitrogen oxides and NMHC from anthropogenic sources, was provided as input to computer simulations of atmospheric ozone generation for the Tidewater Region using a photochemical oxident model.

Middleton, E. M.↗