Projects

Deciphering controls on metal migration within floodplains: The critical role of redox environments on metal-organic complexes

Lead Institution

Stanford University

Principal Investigator

Scott Fendorf

Project type

Large-Scale EMSL Research

Dissolved organic matter (DOM) is a major but poorly understood control over the mobility of micronutrient and contaminant metals in surface and subsurface systems. Variations in the chemical…

Sticky Roots -- Implications of Altered Rhizodeposition for the Fate of Mineral-associated Organic Matter in Natural Ecosystems

Lead Institution

University of Massachusetts Amherst

Principal Investigator

Marco Keiluweit

Project type

Large-Scale EMSL Research

The proposed research aims to improve mechanistic understanding of links among rhizodeposition of reactive organic compounds by plant roots, microbial activity, and the stability of mineral…

Carbon signaling cascades that enable the carbohydrate-selective plant biomass degradation by brown rot fungi

Lead Institution

University of Minnesota

Principal Investigator

Jiwei Zhang

Project type

Large-Scale EMSL Research

Fungi are dominant microbes for carbon turnover of plant biomass in terrestrial systems. Some of them, namely brown rot fungi, evolved more efficient mechanisms than others, causing the fast…

Mineralogy and Soil Organic Matter Composition as Drivers of Reactive Nitrogen Emissions from Midwestern Hardwood Forest Soils

Lead Institution

Indiana University - Bloomington

Principal Investigator

Jonathan Raff

Project type

Exploratory Research

The overall goal of this proposal is to investigate how plant-microbe-mineral interactions drive emissions of reactive nitrogen from soils. Fluxes of reactive nitrogen oxides [NOy = NO + NO2 + HONO]…

Quantifying Peptide Abundance Ratios

Lead Institution

North Carolina State University

Principal Investigator

Michael Goshe

Project type

Exploratory Research

Regulation of protein expression and modulation of post-translational modifications (PTMs) are biochemical processes that are vital to cellular function. Phosphorylation and glycosylation are two of…

3D Flow and transport in highly heterogeneous porous media

Lead Institution

Oregon State University

Principal Investigator

Brian Wood

Project type

Exploratory Research

We will be examining flow and transport, specifically macrodispersion, in highly heterogeneous media in 3-dimensions. Particular focus will be on tailing phenomena that lead to non-Fickian spreading…

Multiple Sensor Data Integration (PNNL Scope # 90001)

Lead Institution

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

Principal Investigator

Nancy Valentine

Project type

Exploratory Research

Development of a mathematical/statistical framework for nuclear, chemical, and biological (NCB) sensor integration and decision analysis is proposed. In particular, a statistical model for…

High-Field Dynamic Nuclear Polarization Technique for Probing the Cellular Structure of Polysaccharides and Lignin in Plants

Lead Institution

Michigan State University

Principal Investigator

Tuo Wang

Project type

Exploratory Research

The NMR Facility at EMSL is going to house the first commercial high-field (800 MHz/527 GHz) Dynamic Nuclear Polarization (DNP) system in the United States. This state-of-art instrument will allow us…

Evaluating viral activity and infection dynamics during wet-up of dry grassland soils

Lead Institution

University of California, Davis

Principal Investigator

Joanne Emerson

Project type

Exploratory Research

After months of dryness, the first heavy rainfall in Mediterranean climates drives a predictable pulse of CO2 emissions and soil microbial activity each year. Responsive microbial populations begin…

Controls on the Composition of Persistent Microbial-derived Organic Matter in Soil

Lead Institution

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

Principal Investigator

Kirsten Hofmockel

Project type

Exploratory Research

Current estimates suggest that soils contain 1.5 x 10^12 tons of carbon, or roughly three times more carbon than the atmosphere, and represent a giant reservoir for potential greenhouse gas emission…

Elucidating aromatic catabolic pathways in white-rot fungi

Lead Institution

National Renewable Energy Laboratory

Principal Investigator

Davinia Salvachua Rodriguez

Project type

Exploratory Research

Lignin is a heterogeneous aromatic polymer found in the cell walls of terrestrial plants and accounts for 30% of the organic carbon in the biosphere. White-rot fungi (WRF) are unquestionably the most…

Phosphorus and Carbon Cycling Directed by Spatial Plasticity in Root Exudation

Lead Institution

Michigan State University

Principal Investigator

James Moran

Project type

Exploratory Research

Plant root exudates provide a significant carbon (C) source for rhizosphere microbial communities. In return, these communities help mobilize nutrients needed for plant growth. For instance,…

Lithologic controls on rock-derived nutrient cycling and soil organic carbon storage in perhumid temperate coastal rainforest

Lead Institution

University of Nebraska Omaha

Principal Investigator

Ashlee Dere

Project type

Exploratory Research

Mineral weathering is an important supplier of plant essential nutrients and influences soil carbon sequestration yet the drivers and rates of mineral transformation and soil formation are still…

Capturing the influence of ocean biology on aerosol collected in the remote region of the eastern north Atlantic

Lead Institution

State University of New York at Stony Brook

Principal Investigator

Josephine Aller

Project type

Exploratory Research

Cloud lifetime and optical properties, as well as precipitation, depend heavily on aerosol size, concentration, and chemical properties. Oceans which cover 71% of the Earth's surface are a major…

Fate and Transport of Nano- and Microplastic in Terrestrial Ecosystems

Lead Institution

Washington State University

Principal Investigator

Markus Flury

Project type

Exploratory Research

Nano- and microplastics are ubiquitous in many consumer products and released to the environment through rub-off or improperly disposed waste. Little is known about quantity, distribution, and fate…

Template-based growth of V2O5 nanorods by electrodeposition and/or sol electrophoresis

Lead Institution

University of Washington

Principal Investigator

Steven Limmer

Project type

Exploratory Research

Template-based growth of single crystal V2O5 nanorods by either electrochemical or electrophoretic deposition was studied. Specifically, standard electrochemical deposition from VOSO4 solution,…

STM Tip Analysis by TEM

Lead Institution

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

Principal Investigator

Zdenek Dohnalek

Project type

Exploratory Research

This is a proof of principle study. The goal is to determine whether the TEM instrumentation can be used to analyze the sharpness and oxidation of the tips used in scanning tunneling microscopy (STM)…

Micro-dimension Calibration

Lead Institution

XL Science & Technology

Principal Investigator

Y Peng

Project type

Exploratory Research

Precision microfabraicated parts can not be calibrated even with best optical microscope. SEM (FESEM) can provide the depth of field for the ultimate micro-de=imension calibration.

Wildfire impacts on organic matter bioavailability and river corridor biogeochemistry

Lead Institution

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

Principal Investigator

Allison Myers-Pigg

Project type

Large-Scale EMSL Research

Disturbances can modify landscape hydrologic flows and alter the quantity and quality of organic matter delivered to rivers, thereby affecting the hydro-biogeochemistry of freshwater terrestrial…

Functional genomics of the root vascular system.

Lead Institution

University of Missouri - Columbia

Principal Investigator

Gary Stacey

Project type

Large-Scale EMSL Research

Nitrogen (N) management will be a critical feature for the production of bioenergy crops, which are likely to be grown on sub-optimal soils low in N content. One solution to these issues is to employ…