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All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2023

Structure and composition of natural ferrihydrite nano-colloids in anoxic groundwater

Fe-rich mobile colloids play vital yet poorly understood roles in the biogeochemical cycling of Fe in groundwater by influencing organic matter (OM) preservation and fluxes of Fe, OM, and other essential (micro-)nutrients. Yet, few studies have provided molecular detail on the structures and compositions of Fe-rich mobile colloids and factors controlling their persistence in natural groundwater. Here, we provide comprehensive new information on the sizes, molecular structures, and compositions of Fe-rich mobile colloids that accounted for up to 72% of aqueous Fe in anoxic groundwater from a redox-active floodplain. The mobile colloids are multi-phase assemblages consisting of Si-coated ferrihydrite nanoparticles and Fe(II)-OM complexes. Ferrihydrite nanoparticles persisted under both oxic and anoxic/sulfidic conditions, which we attribute to passivation by Si and OM. These findings suggest that mobile Fe-rich colloids generated in floodplains can persist during transport through redox-variable soils and could be discharged to surface waters. These results shed new light on their potential to transport Fe, OM, and nutrients across terrestrial-aquatic interfaces.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2025

Implications of Aerosol Physicochemical Properties Including Ice Nucleation at ARM Mega Sites for Improved Understanding of Microphysical Atmospheric Cloud Processes (Final Technical Report)

Continuous, long-term measurements of atmospheric ice-nucleating particles (INPs) that influence clouds and precipitation were conducted to investigate the abundance and variability of ground-level INPs across the world. Three field campaigns were organized by the DOE Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) program, including Examining INP from Southern Great Plains (ExINP-SGP, 2019), Examining INP from Eastern North Atlantic (ExINP-ENA, 2020 – 2021), and Examining INP from North Slope of Alaska (ExINP-NSA, 2021 – 2024). Additional small-scale supporting field experiments were performed in 2019 and 2021 to collect airborne particulate matter at SGP for complementary laboratory characterization of the particles’ physical and chemical properties [Aerosol-Ice Formation Closure Pilot Study (AEROICESTUDY), 2019; ExINP-SGP II, 2021]. In these studies, the PI’s team measured INP concentration with both real-time and laboratory measurements in a wide range of freezing temperatures ($T$ from 0 °C to about –30 °C). This project elucidated spatial variability and seasonality in the abundance of immersion mode active INPs across three ARM sites using a single instrument, a Portable Ice Nucleation Experiment (PINE) chamber version 03 (PINE-03 hereafter). Collocated aerosol and meteorological data were analyzed to assess the correlation between ambient INP abundance, air mass origin region, and meteorological variability. Our findings suggest very high freezing efficiency of INPs at the NSA site across the measured temperatures (ice nucleation active surface site density, $n_s(T)$, $\approx 2 \times 10^{8} - 10^{10}$ m -2 for from –16 to –31 °C), which is a factor of 10 – 1000 times greater efficiency as compared to that found in the previous mid-latitude INP measurements in autumn using the same instrument; surprisingly high INP abundance ($\ge 1 \text{ L}^{-1}$ at –25 °C) for the examined temperatures throughout the year that PINE-03 did not measure at other sites; and high INP concentration in spring, possibly related to arctic haze episodes.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2022

Fusion Energy Sciences Network Requirements Review. Final Report, April - October 2021

The Energy Sciences Network (ESnet) is the high-performance network user facility for the US Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science (SC) and delivers highly reliable data transport capabilities optimized for the requirements of data-intensive science. In essence, ESnet is the circulatory system that enables the DOE science mission by connecting all of its laboratories and facilities in the US and abroad. ESnet is funded and stewarded by the Advanced Scientific Computing Research (ASCR) program and managed and operated by the Scientific Networking Division at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL). ESnet is widely regarded as a global leader in the research and education networking community. Throughout 2021, ESnet and the Office of Fusion Energy Sciences (FES) of the DOE SC organized an ESnet requirements review of FES-supported activities. Preparation for these events included identification of key stakeholders: program and facility management, research groups, and technology providers. Each stakeholder group was asked to prepare formal case study documents about their relationship to the FES program to build a complete understanding of the current, near-term, and long-term status, expectations, and processes that will support the science going forward.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2021

The In Situ Ion Irradiation Toolbox: Time-Resolved Structure and Property Measurements

Abstract The dynamic interactions of ions with matter drive a host of complex evolution mechanisms, requiring monitoring on short spatial and temporal scales to gain a full picture of a material response. Understanding the evolution of materials under ion irradiation and displacement damage is vital for many fields, including semiconductor processing, nuclear reactors, and space systems. Despite materials in service having a dynamic response to radiation damage, typical characterization is performed post-irradiation, washing out all information from transient processes. Characterizing active processes in situ during irradiation allows the mechanisms at play during the dynamic ion-material interaction process to be deciphered. In this review, we examine the in situ characterization techniques utilized for examining material structure, composition, and property evolution under ion irradiation. Covering analyses of microstructure, surface composition, and material properties, this work offers a perspective on the recent advances in methods for in situ monitoring of materials under ion irradiation, including a future outlook examining the role of complementary and combined characterization techniques in understanding dynamic materials evolution.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2021

Antiphase-Boundary-Engineered Domain Switching in a (110)-Oriented BiFeO 3 Film

A ferroelectric domain wall memory device exploits the presence (or absence) of domain walls as the basis for information storage. Although structural defects strongly influence ferroelectric domain wall nucleation and growth, this correlation is far from being fully understood. For example, a single defect can play opposing roles: it can act as a nucleation site to initiate domain switching or, conversely, serve as a pinning center inhibiting domain wall motion. This is particularly the case for antiphase boundaries (APBs), whose influence on switching remains relatively unexplored despite being ubiquitous in oxide perovskite ferroelectrics. Here, we use aberration-corrected scanning transmission microscopy and in situ transmission electron microscopy under an applied bias to extensively characterize the influence of an APB on the switching behavior in a (110)-oriented BiFeO 3 thin film. We demonstrate that deterministic nucleation occurs in the proximity of a vertically oriented APB, following which domain growth occurs laterally in a symmetric fashion. Atomic-scale structural analysis reveals that the shear operation vector for the APB is 1/2[110]; this half-unit-cell shift extends over a few nanometers, implying that the APB plane is inclined toward the imaging direction. The symmetric switching observation is attributed to local inhomogeneous lattice strain and a reduction of polarization caused by the APB. These results demonstrate that an extended structural defect can be used as an active switching element rather than a stumbling block in reprogrammable domain-wall-based devices. Ultimately, this will expand the capabilities of ferroelectric thin films for future electronic devices based on ferroelectric domain walls.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2020

Time-resolved in situ visualization of the structural response of zeolites during catalysis

Zeolites form an important class of materials that are widely used in various fields. Their unique properties come primarily from their size, shape, and connectivity of their sub-nm crystalline voids, the Si/Al ratio of the anionic framework, and the number and the nature of charge-balancing cations.The inhomogeneous distribution of the Si/Al ratio within crystals, and hence the cation density, the presence of organic residues, and their inhomogeneous distribution within crystals sensitively affect their performances because these factors influencethe intra-crystalline diffusion rates of the reactants and products. However, the information regarding these inhomogeneities in zeolite crystals cannot be obtained by conventional analytical tools because they only provide information regardingthe average properties of zeolite crystals. Here we employin situX-ray free electron laser-based time-resolved coherent X-ray diffraction imaging to investigate the internal deformations originating from the inhomogeneous Cu ion distributions in Cu-exchanged ZSM-5 zeolite crystals during the deoxygenation of nitrogen oxides with propene. We show that the interactions between the reactants and the active sites lead to an unusual strain distribution,which is confirmed by density functional theory simulations. Moreover, this elucidates the factors responsible for distinct active regions,which are essential to maximizing some applications with enhanced performances. These observations provide insights into the role of structural inhomogeneity in zeolites during a catalytic processand will assist the future design of zeolites for their applications.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2022

A study on the clustering properties of radio-selected sources in the Lockman Hole region at 325 MHz

Studying the spatial distribution of extragalactic source populations is vital in understanding the matter distribution in the Universe. It also enables understanding the cosmological evolution of dark matter density fields and the relationship between dark matter and luminous matter. Clustering studies are also required for EoR foreground studies since it affects the relevant angular scales. This paper investigates the angular and spatial clustering properties and the bias parameter of radio-selected sources in the Lockman Hole field at 325 MHz. The data probes sources with fluxes ≳0.3 mJy within a radius of 1.8° around the phase centre of a 6° × 6° mosaic. Based on their radio luminosity, the sources are classified into Active Galactic Nuclei (AGNs) and Star-Forming Galaxies (SFGs). Clustering and bias parameters are determined for the combined populations and the classified sources. The spatial correlation length and the bias of AGNs are greater than SFGs- indicating that more massive haloes host the former. This study is the first reported estimate of the clustering property of sources at 325 MHz, intermediate between the pre-existing studies at high and low-frequency bands. It also probes a well-studied deep field at an unexplored frequency with moderate depth and area. Clustering studies require such observations along different lines of sight, with various fields and data sets across frequencies to avoid cosmic variance and systematics. Thus, an extragalactic deep field has been studied in this work to contribute to this knowledge.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2020

Temperature- and Rate-Dependent Pathways in Formation of Metastable Silicon Phases under Rapid Decompression

High-pressure metallic beta-Sn silicon (Si-II), depending on temperature, decompression rate, stress, etc., may transform to diverse metastable forms with promising semiconducting properties under decompression. However, the underlying mechanisms governing the different transformation paths are not well understood. Here, two distinctive pathways, viz., a thermally activated crystal-crystal transition and a mechanically driven amorphization, were characterized under rapid decompression of Si-II at various temperatures using in situ time-resolved x-ray diffraction. Under slow decompression, Si-II transforms to a crystalline bc8/r8 phase in the pressure range of 4.3-9.2 GPa through a thermally activated process where the overdepressurization and the onset transition strain are strongly dependent on decompression rate and temperature. In comparison, Si-II collapses structurally to an amorphous form at around 4.3 GPa when the volume expansion approaches a critical strain via rapid decompression beyond a threshold rate. The occurrence of the critical strain indicates a limit of the structural metastability of Si-II, which separates the thermally activated and mechanically driven transition processes. The results show the coupled effect of decompression rate, activation barrier, and thermal energy on the adopted transformation paths, providing atomistic insight into the competition between equilibrium and nonequilibrium pathways and the resulting metastable phases.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2022

Preprocessing of municipal solid waste towards thermal insulating material

Municipal solid waste (MSW) is one of the significant challenges in today’s world. A continuous surge in population, increasing living standards, and rapid urbanization are generating an enormous quantity of MSW. For example, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reported that the total generation of MSW in the United States in 2018 was 292.4 million tons. Improper management of this MSW often leads to the release of greenhouse gases, emission of particulate matters, and formation of dioxins, which all ultimately contributes to climate change. Recycling these wastes via landfills with gas recovery and/or energy and material production via thermal and chemical conversions could be viable options to manage these challenges. Depending on the inherent chemical and structural properties of unrecycled wastes, the carbon structures can be tailored for processing and reuse in manufacturing of structural composites, building materials such as insulation, carbon dense reactant materials such as activated carbon, and so on. According to the EPA’s estimation, MSW in the United States is approximately 23% paper and paperboard, 12% plastics, 6% wood and 6% is textiles. Thus, this research focused on the feasibility of using the MSW as insulation material for the construction sector. The goal of this work was to determine the range of particle sizes, consolidation ratios, and component blends that can achieve insulation R-values within at least 70% that of traditional blown cellulose fiber. To achieve this goal, we designed the testing matrix based on five different component blends, three different particle sizes, and three different compaction level. An American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) method (C-739) was used to measure the R-value of the insulation material. Results showed that, adding more paper component in addition to smaller particle size and loose compaction made the insulation similar to the traditional blown cellulose fiber insulation as the R-value was within a range of 2.5-3.0 per inch.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2020

Measurement of the gamma ray background in the Davis cavern at the Sanford Underground Research Facility

Deep underground environments are ideal for low background searches due to the attenuation of cosmic rays by passage through the earth. However, they are affected by backgrounds from γ -rays emitted by 40 K and the 238 U and 232 Th decay chains in the surrounding rock. The LUX-ZEPLIN (LZ) experiment will search for dark matter particle interactions with a liquid xenon TPC located within the Davis campus at the Sanford Underground Research Facility, Lead, South Dakota, at the 4850-foot level. In order to characterise the cavern background, in-situ γ -ray measurements were taken with a sodium iodide detector in various locations and with lead shielding. The integral count rates (0–3300 keV) varied from 596 Hz to 1355 Hz for unshielded measurements, corresponding to a total flux from the cavern walls of 1.9 ± 0.4 γ cm −2 s −1 . The resulting activity in the walls of the cavern can be characterised as 220 ± 60 Bq/kg of 40 K, 29 ± 15 Bq/kg of 238 U, and 13 ± 3 Bq/kg of 232 Th.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2021

Arabidopsis myosin XIK interacts with the exocyst complex to facilitate vesicle tethering during exocytosis

Myosin motors are essential players in secretory vesicle trafficking and exocytosis in yeast and mammalian cells; however, similar roles in plants remain a matter for debate, at least for diffusely growing cells. Here, we demonstrate that Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) myosin XIK, via its globular tail domain (GTD), participates in the vesicle tethering step of exocytosis through direct interactions with the exocyst complex. Specifically, myosin XIK GTD bound directly to several exocyst subunits in vitro and functional fluorescently tagged XIK colocalized with multiple exocyst subunits at plasma membrane (PM)-associated stationary foci. Moreover, genetic and pharmacological inhibition of myosin XI activity reduced the rate of appearance and lifetime of stationary exocyst complexes at the PM. By tracking single exocytosis events of cellulose synthase (CESA) complexes with high spatiotemporal resolution imaging and pair-wise colocalization of myosin XIK, exocyst subunits, and CESA6, we demonstrated that XIK associates with secretory vesicles earlier than exocyst and is required for the efficient localization and normal dynamic behavior of exocyst complex at the PM tethering site. This study reveals an important functional role for myosin XI in secretion and provides insights about the dynamic regulation of exocytosis in plants.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2021

Skyrme pseudopotentials at next-to-next-to-leading order: Construction of local densities and first symmetry-breaking calculations

There is an ongoing quest to improve on the spectroscopic quality of nuclear energy density functionals (EDFs) of the Skyrme type through extensions of its traditional form. One direction for such activities is the inclusion of terms of higher order in gradients in the EDF. We report on exploratory symmetry-breaking calculations performed for an extension of the Skyrme EDF that includes central terms with four gradients at next-to-next-to-leading order (N2LO) and for which the high-quality parametrization SN2LO1 has been constructed recently. Up to now, the investigation of such functionals with higher-order terms was limited to infinite matter and spherically symmetric configurations of singly and doubly magic nuclei. We address here nuclei and phenomena that require us to consider axial and nonaxial deformation, both for reflection-symmetric and also reflection-asymmetric shapes, as well as the breaking of time-reversal invariance. Achieving these calculations demanded a number of formal developments. These all resulted from the formulation of the N2LO EDF requiring the introduction of new local densities with additional gradients that are not present in the EDF at NLO. Their choice is not unique, but can differ in the way the gradients are coupled. While designing a numerical implementation of N2LO EDFs in Cartesian three-dimensional coordinate-space representation, we have developed a novel definition and a new unifying notation for normal and pair densities that contain gradients at arbitrary order. Besides having mnemonic advantages, the new notation allows for the easy identification of redundancies and reducibilities in a given set of local densities, and the new definition makes it straightforward to construct densities that automatically adopt the symmetries of the many-body state they are constructed from. The resulting scheme resolves several issues with some of the choices that have been made for local densities in the past, in particular when breaking time-reversal symmetry. Guided by general practical considerations, we propose an alternative form of the N2LO contribution to the Skyrme EDF that is built from a different set of densities. It has exactly the same physics content, but is much more efficient to handle in formal discussions and, compared to the original formulation, leads to a substantial reduction of computational cost and memory requirements in deformed codes. As representative examples for the performance of SN2LO1, we have chosen the ground states of even-even Kr and Nd isotopes, the fission barrier of 240 Pu as well as the superdeformed rotational band of 194 Hg. Overall, for the nuclei and phenomena studied here, the SN2LO1 parametrization does not yet present a systematic improvement over standard NLO parametrizations. This finding calls for improved fit protocols that better discriminate between NLO and N2LO terms and better exploit the unique features of the additional degrees of freedom offered by the latter.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2023

Frequency stability of the SRF cavities (microphonics)

There are several proposed experiments to search for Dark Matter that will utilize SRF cavities submerged into liquid Helium. Extremely narrow bandwidth of SRF cavities (<1 Hz) and requirements for cavity frequency stability will be obligated special measures to mitigate any vibrations from external sources that will be penetrated and re-tuned cavity. In the talk recent FNAL experience of measuring microphonics of SRF cavities used for Dark Photon experiment will be presented. FNAL’s program to mitigate SRF cavity microphonics (in passive and active way) will be presented.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2024

Neutrons in Structural Biology: Challenges and Opportunities (Workshop Report)

Gaining a thorough understanding of biological systems requires building our knowledge about biological processes from the level of atoms and electrons, and up to whole organisms. Such comprehensive knowledge will allow for a predictive understanding of complex biological systems behavior. It will guide us in the design and development of novel therapeutics and vaccines to tackle existing health threats and to prepare for future pandemics, and it will provide information necessary to create new biomaterials and bio-inspired technologies through manipulation of biological macromolecules, their assemblies, single cells and even microorganisms. Reaching these goals will require a synergistic combination of multiple experimental techniques with molecular calculations and predictive simulations, and the design and development of new techniques and capabilities that bridge current knowledge and technology gaps. Neutron scattering provides unique information about the biomacromolecular structure and function and can play a major role in achieving these goals. A workshop was held to engage the scientific community in identifying pressing challenges in biochemistry, structural biology, enzymology and structure-guided drug design not solved with the current neutron scattering technologies or utilizing other structural biology techniques such as X-ray crystallography, NMR, and cryo-EM. The workshop brought together structural biology, biochemistry and computational experts, as well as early career researchers and students, creating a forum for discussing scientific advancement and collaboration. The workshop included a one-day satellite training workshop where graduate students and postdoctoral researchers were educated in the application of neutron crystallography and small-angle scattering in structural biology. Furthermore, the Instrument Scientific Advisory Board (ISAB) for the development of a macromolecular neutron diffractometer at ORNL’s Second Target Station was introduced at the workshop. The major outcome was that neutrons can provide atomic-level understanding of biomacromolecular structure, function and dynamics which is of paramount importance for addressing the identified challenges. Neutron crystallography, in particular, can resolve long-standing biochemical issues regarding enzyme function by delineating the underlying chemistry and can have a major impact on the design of small-molecule therapeutics, especially in combination with molecular computation (quantum chemistry and molecular dynamics simulations) and the emerging artificial intelligence (AI)-assisted drug design technologies. The unique properties of neutrons, including their high sensitivity to hydrogen and their non-destructive nature, make them ideal probes of biological matter. There is a palpable need in the scientific community to expand and enhance the impact of neutron sciences on biology. Neutron crystallography is the only structural biology method capable of determining positions of all hydrogen atoms in proteins, nucleic acids and their complexes at near-physiological temperatures and of unstable species at cryogenic temperatures. Moreover, neutron analysis is non-ionizing, non-destructive and does not perturb the structure or redox chemistry of active site metal centers and clusters in proteins, which can be invaluable for studying radiation-sensitive metalloprotein complexes. Further, neutron energies used in scattering applications are similar to atomic motions, permitting neutron spectroscopies to characterize the dynamics of biomacromolecules on the picosecond to microsecond timescales. The different sensitivities of neutrons to protium (H) and deuterium (D) isotopes of hydrogen allow enhanced visibility of specific parts of biological complexes through isotopic labeling. The impact of neutrons will be most powerful when neutron scattering is combined with complementary experimental techniques that use photons and electrons, and with high-performance computing. The interconnection and mutuality of the experimental and theoretical capabilities will drive discoveries in biological and health sciences to generate more complete picture of complex biological systems. The major limitation in the field of biological neutron crystallography has been signal-to-noise, demanding large samples that are difficult to produce for the majority of biomacromolecules and limiting the applicability of this technique in biological sciences. A neutron crystallography instrument at the Second Target Station will revolutionize biological science with neutrons by engaging a large scientific community of structural biologists, enabling successful neutron diffraction experiments from radically smaller biomacromolecular crystals, resolving unanswered biochemical questions, and meaningfully contributing to rational drug design. The meeting highlighted 10 grand challenges that will be addressed with this advanced capability over the next decade and beyond, and the recommendations required to help address them are given below.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2020

Stoichiometrically coupled carbon and nitrogen cycling in the MIcrobial-MIneral Carbon Stabilization model version 1.0 (MIMICS-CN v1.0)

Explicit consideration of microbial physiology in soil biogeochemical models that represent coupled carbon–nitrogen dynamics presents opportunities to deepen understanding of ecosystem responses to environmental change. The MIcrobial-MIneral Carbon Stabilization (MIMICS) model explicitly represents microbial physiology and physicochemical stabilization of soil carbon (C) on regional and global scales. Here we present a new version of MIMICS with coupled C and nitrogen (N) cycling through litter, microbial, and soil organic matter (SOM) pools. The model was parameterized and validated against C and N data from the Long-Term Inter-site Decomposition Experiment Team (LIDET; six litter types, 10 years of observations, and 13 sites across North America). The model simulates C and N losses from litterbags in the LIDET study with reasonable accuracy (C: R 2 =0.63; N: R 2 =0.29), which is comparable with simulations from the DAYCENT model that implicitly represents microbial activity (C: R 2 =0.67; N: R 2 =0.30). Subsequently, we evaluated equilibrium values of stocks (total soil C and N, microbial biomass C and N, inorganic N) and microbial process rates (soil heterotrophic respiration, N mineralization) simulated by MIMICS-CN across the 13 simulated LIDET sites against published observations from other continent-wide datasets. We found that MIMICS-CN produces equilibrium values in line with measured values, showing that the model generates plausible estimates of ecosystem soil biogeochemical dynamics across continental-scale gradients. MIMICS-CN provides a platform for coupling C and N projections in a microbially explicit model, but experiments still need to identify the physiological and stoichiometric characteristics of soil microbes, especially under environmental change scenarios.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2023

New constraints on warm dark matter from the Lyman- α forest power spectrum

The forest of Lyman-α absorption lines detected in the spectra of distant quasars encodes information on the nature and properties of dark matter and the thermodynamics of diffuse baryonic material. Its main observable—the 1D flux power spectrum (FPS)—should exhibit a suppression on small scales and an enhancement on large scales in warm dark matter (WDM) cosmologies compared to standard Λ⁢CDM. Here, we present an unprecedented suite of 1080 high-resolution cosmological hydrodynamical simulations run with the graphics processing unit-accelerated code cholla to study the evolution of the Lyman-α forest under a wide range of physically motivated gas thermal histories along with different free-streaming lengths of WDM thermal relics in the early Universe. A statistical comparison of synthetic data with the forest FPS measured down to the smallest velocity scales ever probed at redshifts 4.0≲z≲5.2 [E. Boera et al., Revealing reionization with the thermal history of the intergalactic medium: New constraints from the Ly⁢α flux power spectrum, Astrophys. J. 872, 101 (2019)] yields a lower-limit m WDM >3.1 keV (95% C.L.) for the WDM particle mass and constrains the amplitude and spectrum of the photoheating and photoionizing background produced by star-forming galaxies and active galactic nuclei at these redshifts. Interestingly, our Bayesian inference analysis appears to weakly favor WDM models with a peak likelihood value at the thermal relic mass of m WDM =4.5 keV. In conclusion, we find that the suppression of the FPS from free-streaming saturates at k≳0.1 s km -1 because of peculiar velocity smearing, and this saturated suppression combined with a slightly lower gas temperature provides a moderately better fit to the observed small-scale FPS for WDM cosmologies.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2020

Linking Hydrology and Dissolved Organic Matter Characteristics in a Subtropical Wetland: A Long-Term Study of the Florida Everglades

Dissolved organic matter (DOM) acts as an important biogeochemical component of aquatic ecosystems that controls nutrient cycling, influences water quality, and links terrestrial and oceanic carbon pools, yet long-term studies of how changing environmental drivers alter its abundance and composition are rare. Using a ten-year, spatially explicit dataset from Everglades National Park (ENP), a globally significant wetland, we investigated the relationships between DOM quality/quantity and hydrologic/climatic drivers along two contrasting marsh-estuarine transects based on generalized linear modeling and a cumulative sums analysis. Analyses revealed distinct spatial, seasonal, and interannual patterns in variability of DOC and optical properties. Landscape-scale seasonal patterns showed an enrichment in microbial-like and protein-like DOM during the dry season relative to the wet season. We found that, while some compositional constituents varied with the solar calendar, responsive to temperature and photoperiod, others varied with the hydrologic calendar. Independent water level and discharge effects indicated strong hydrologic control on DOM quality that differed between the two transects, evidencing differences in their connectivity to areas of high agricultural activity. Across all sites, a significant long-term increasing trend in the fluorescence index was observed, associated with a positive correlation with precipitation and also potential changes in agricultural inputs, with other features associated with drought and hurricanes. Lastly, the cumulative sums analysis revealed differences between the two transects in the sensitivity of DOM composition to decreased water levels associated with 30-year climate scenarios, with the less hydrologically dynamic transect exhibiting greater potential sensitivity.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗