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Hart, David Blaine

Publications and source records attributed to Hart, David Blaine.

Methane Hydrate Formation on Clay Mineral Surfaces: Thermodynamic Stability and Heterogeneous Nucleation Mechanisms

Heterogeneous nucleation of methane hydrates has been examined using molecular simulation, experimental bulk synthesis, and scanning probe microscopy. Theoretical nucleation rates were determined using molecular dynamics simulations as a function of clay surface represented by hydrophobic and hydrophilic systems. Methane hydrates were synthesized with and without Na-montmorillonite in a bulk reactor pressure assembly. X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy confirm the nucleation and growth of the synthesized hydrates. Various kinetic pathways were explored to produce methane or isobutene clathrates in an ultra-high vacuum apparatus at very low temperatures but scanning probe microscopy only indicates the formation of ice.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Risk assessment of climate systems for national security

Climate change, through drought, flooding, storms, heat waves, and melting Arctic ice, affects the production and flow of resource within and among geographical regions. The interactions among governments, populations, and sectors of the economy require integrated assessment based on risk, through uncertainty quantification (UQ). This project evaluated the capabilities with Sandia National Laboratories to perform such integrated analyses, as they relate to (inter)national security. The combining of the UQ results from climate models with hydrological and economic/infrastructure impact modeling appears to offer the best capability for national security risk assessments.

Backus, George A.↗

Sensitivity of the Community Land Model (CLM4.0) to Key Modeling Parameters and Modeling of Key Physical Processes with Focus on the Arctic Environment

The purpose of this study was to identify major parameters and physical processes that have greatest impacts on the near surface energy balance in the Arctic environment. The historical data set for the period of 1948 to 2004 from National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) was used to generate atmospheric forcing data for this analysis. The CLM 4.0 (Community Land Model) was used for land simulations of the point grid cell located near Fairbanks, Alaska. A range of hydrogeologic and thermal soil properties and vegetation characteristics were defined for the vegetation and soil data. The current approach used in CLM was modified to simulate soil moisture to allow for more realistic water table representation. Multiple CLM sensitivity runs were analyzed with regard to their effects on the feedbacks to the atmospheric model. This analysis allowed for identifying major parameters and important physical processes with the potential to impact the climate either in the short or long term.

Kalinina, Elena Arkadievna↗