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Environmental Transformations and Interactions

The Environmental Transformations and Interactions (ETI) Science Area focuses on the mechanistic and predictive understanding of environmental (physiochemical, hydrological, and biogeochemical), microbial, plant, and ecological processes in above- and belowground ecosystems, the atmosphere, and their interfaces. EMSL provides the experimental, computational, and simulation expertise to investigate and model cycling, transformation, and transport of critical nutrients, elements, contaminants, and atmospheric aerosols. Experiment and modeling approaches will accelerate mechanistic understanding of coupled soil-microbe-plant-atmosphere molecular processes and their interdependencies, ultimately informing models of ecosystem processes and land-atmosphere interactions at larger scales. 
 

Fiscal Year 2027 Exploratory Research Proposal Call

Submissions for the FY27 Exploratory Research proposal call should focus on capabilities in, or complementary to, baseline measurement techniques used in ETI community science campaigns. (See campaigns listed further down this webpage.) This includes chemical imaging methods, multiomics approaches, TerraForms micromodels, and/or the use of Molecular Observation Network (MONet) data for AI/ML-based analyses or data-model integration.

Visit the FY27 Exploratory Research proposal call webpage for a full list of baseline data types.

 

Terrestrial-Atmospheric Processes

Terrestrial-Atmospheric Processes
The terrestrial ecosystem is a major source of aerosols and chemical species to the atmosphere. These include biological aerosol particles such as pollen and soil microorganisms or cell fragments.

Research in the Terrestrial-Atmospheric Processes Integrated Research Platform will address the emission mechanisms of aerosols and gases from plants and soil into the atmosphere and will develop molecular-level understandings of the multiphase interfacial chemistry and aging processes occurring near Earth’s surface and extending up to the atmospheric boundary layer.

Biogeochemical Transformations

Colorful and detailed scientific collage highlighting various microscopic and molecular structures, including cells, bacteria, and molecular models.
The Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory's Biogeochemical Transformations Integrated Research Platform helps researchers answer fundamental questions about chemical, physical, hydrologic, microbial, and atmospheric interactions that affect the transformation and mobility of critical nutrients, contaminants, aerosols, particles, and compounds within the environment.

Rhizosphere Function

Rhizosphere Function
The Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory’s Rhizosphere Function Integrated Research Platform aims to dissect interactions between roots, the soil, and microbes to understand the impacts and mechanisms of root-controlled processes on plant resilience and biogeochemical cycling of carbon, nutrients, and mineral elements.  

Campaigns

Campaign

SOILS-AI

soil overlaid with waves in blue
The Soil Organic Indicators at Large Scale for Artificial Intelligence (SOILS-AI) campaign is a sampling effort across the continental United States designed to improve the representation of high-value soil taxa in the Molecular Observation Network (MONet) database,
Campaign

Rhizosphere (Rhizo) Critical

roots underground surrounded by soil
The Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory is leading a campaign titled, “Critical Minerals Biogeochemistry in the Rhizosphere – Ultramafic Soils" (Rhizo Critical), to focus on understanding how rhizosphere microbiota influence metal bioavailability and uptake by plant roots in ultramafic soils. 
Campaign

Unconventional Critical

Soil layers displayed in shades of red, orange, and brown
The Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory (EMSL) is leading a campaign titled, "Biogeochemical Processes Governing Critical Mineral Recovery in Mineral Dominated Systems" (Unconventional Critical), to identify and characterize molecular and microscale mineral–water–microbe processes facilitating solubilization of critical minerals and materials in (non-soil) mineral–water–microbe systems.

10-Year Objective

Molecular Observation Network (MONet)

Soil in the background with a hand scooping up soil.
Molecular Observation Network (MONet) is a national open science network designed to produce comprehensive molecular-level and microstructural information on the composition and structure of soil, water, resident microbial communities, and biogenic emissions.
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