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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 91 records · Page 5
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2025

Unlocking America's Abundant Marine Energy Resources

NREL Marine Energy One-Pager: A resource designed for use during NREL campus visits - especially with high-profile guests - as well as at events in Washington, D.C., when engaging with the new administration, and for displays at WPTO or lab booths. The U.S. holds vast untapped marine energy resources - wave, tidal, river, and ocean currents - that can strengthen grid resilience, support coastal communities, and advance energy independence. NREL leads innovation in this space through advanced modeling tools, patented technologies, and world-class testing facilities. NREL's simulation platforms, like OpenFAST and SAM, help reduce development time and risk. Patented devices such as PKelp and FlexWEC demonstrate flexible, resilient approaches to energy capture. At Flatirons Campus, NREL offers motion simulation, structural testing, wave tanks, and megawatt-scale microgrid emulation via the ARIES platform. These capabilities help developers refine and validate devices before in-water trials. With upcoming open-water testing at PacWave and strong partnerships, NREL is accelerating the path to commercialization - positioning the U.S. as a global leader in marine energy innovation.

17 WIND ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2026

Biconjugate Impedance Matching Control of the HERO WEC: Preprint

Effective control strategies are essential for maximizing the power output of wave energy converters (WECs). In this study, we explore the methodology of port-based modelling which can be used for bi-conjugate impedance matching, a type of reactive control that involves maximizing power transfer by setting the load (PTO) impedance to be the complex conjugate of the source impedance (WEC). Despite its foundational role in electrical engineering, this method has seen limited application in wave energy and has not yet been demonstrated in wave-powered desalination systems. We represent our complex multidisciplinary system as an equivalent circuit to explore frequency-based relations. The HERO WEC, a small-scale, modular point absorber (PA) designed for reverse osmosis desalination is used as a case study to demonstrate port-based modelling for control applications. Improving the performance of wave-powered water desalination systems could play a critical role in addressing freshwater scarcity for coastal communities, especially those in remote or disaster-prone regions.

16 TIDAL AND WAVE POWER↗
DOE OSTI2023

Climate change-related warming reduces thermal sensitivity and modifies metabolic activity of coastal benthic bacterial communities

Besides long-term average temperature increases, climate change is projected to result in a higher frequency of marine heatwaves. Coastal zones are some of the most productive and vulnerable ecosystems, with many stretches already under anthropogenic pressure. Microorganisms in coastal areas are central to marine energy and nutrient cycling and therefore, it is important to understand how climate change will alter these ecosystems. Using a long-term heated bay (warmed for 50 years) in comparison with an unaffected adjacent control bay and an experimental short-term thermal (9 days at 6–35 °C) incubation experiment, this study provides new insights into how coastal benthic water and surface sediment bacterial communities respond to temperature change. Benthic bacterial communities in the two bays reacted differently to temperature increases with productivity in the heated bay having a broader thermal tolerance compared with that in the control bay. Furthermore, the transcriptional analysis showed that the heated bay benthic bacteria had higher transcript numbers related to energy metabolism and stress compared to the control bay, while short-term elevated temperatures in the control bay incubation experiment induced a transcript response resembling that observed in the heated bay field conditions. In contrast, a reciprocal response was not observed for the heated bay community RNA transcripts exposed to lower temperatures indicating a potential tipping point in community response may have been reached. In summary, long-term warming modulates the performance, productivity, and resilience of bacterial communities in response to warming.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2025

Resource Characterization for Community Scale Tidal Instream Energy in Maine [Abstract]

Coastal and island communities in Maine are seeking solutions to increase the resiliency of their electrical grid while also reducing their carbon footprint. Unfortunately, many community scale tidal resources identified on the Maine coast have not been rigorously evaluated; previous studies identified numerous hot spots but left many of them unevaluated or under evaluated (e.g., only power density was assessed in many cases). The primary objective of this TEAMER project is to evaluate selected community scale tidal instream resources to demonstrate their potential for contributing to the renewable energy needs of nearby coastal communities. The methods developed in this study will enable the total community scale tidal instream energy resource along the Maine coast to be evaluated in follow-on studies. The study will also enable turbine developers to understand how to scale and optimize their devices for deployment in turbine farms at community scale sites. Data from the study will be shared publicly through MHKDR or relevant community websites.

16 TIDAL AND WAVE POWER↗
DOE OSTI2024

Baltic Sea coastal sediment-bound eukaryotes have increased year-round activities under predicted climate change related warming

Climate change related warming is a serious environmental problem attributed to anthropogenic activities, causing ocean water temperatures to rise in the coastal marine ecosystem since the last century. This particularly affects benthic microbial communities, which are crucial for biogeochemical cycles. While bacterial communities have received considerable scientific attention, the benthic eukaryotic community response to climate change remains relatively overlooked. In this study, sediments were sampled from a heated (average 5°C increase over the whole year for over 50 years) and a control (contemporary conditions) Baltic Sea bay during four different seasons across a year. RNA transcript counts were then used to investigate eukaryotic community changes under long-term warming. The composition of active species in the heated and control bay sediment eukaryotic communities differed, which was mainly attributed to salinity and temperature. The family level RNA transcript alpha diversity in the heated bay was higher during May but lower in November, compared with the control bay, suggesting altered seasonal activity patterns and dynamics. In addition, structures of the active eukaryotic communities varied between the two bays during the same season. Hence, this study revealed that long-term warming can change seasonality in eukaryotic diversity patterns. Relative abundances and transcript expression comparisons between bays suggested that some taxa that now have lower mRNA transcripts numbers could be favored by future warming. Furthermore, long-term warming can lead to a more active metabolism in these communities throughout the year, such as higher transcript numbers associated with diatom energy production and protein synthesis in the heated bay during winter. In all, these data can help predict how future global warming will affect the ecology and metabolism of eukaryotic community in coastal sediments.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2024

Effects of Warming and Elevated CO2 on Stomatal Conductance and Chlorophyll Fluorescence of C3 and C4 Coastal Wetland Species

Abstract Coastal wetland communities provide valuable ecosystem services such as erosion prevention, soil accretion, and essential habitat for coastal wildlife, but are some of the most vulnerable to the threats of climate change. This work investigates the combined effects of two climate stressors, elevated temperature (ambient, + 1.7 °C, + 3.4 °C, and 5.1 °C) and elevated CO 2 ( e CO 2 ), on leaf physiological traits of dominant salt marsh plant species. The research took place at the Salt Marsh Accretion Response to Temperature eXperiment (SMARTX) at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center, which includes two plant communities: a C 3 sedge community and a C 4 grass community. Here we present data collected over five years on rates of stomatal conductance (g s ), quantum efficiency of PSII photochemistry ( F v / F m ), and rates of electron transport (ETR max ). We found that both warming and e CO 2 caused declines in all traits, but the warming effects were greater for the C 3 sedge. This species showed a strong negative stomatal response to warming in 2017 and 2018 (28% and 17% reduction, respectively in + 5.1 °C). However, in later years the negative response to warming was dampened to < 7%, indicating that S. americanus was able to partially acclimate to the warming over time. In 2022, we found that sedges growing in the combined + 5.1 °C e CO 2 plots exhibited more significant declines in g s , F v /F m , and ETR max than in either treatment individually. These results are important for predicting future trends in growth of wetland species, which serve as a large carbon sink that may help mitigate the effects of climate change.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
NASA NTRS1999

Environmental Conditions and Threatened and Endangered Species Populations near the Titan, Atlas, and Delta Launch Complexes, Cape Canaveral Air Station

Launches of Delta, Atlas, and Titan rockets from Cape Canaveral Air Station (CCAS) have potential environmental effects. These could occur from direct impacts of launches or indirectly from habitat alterations. This report summarizes a three-year study (1 995-1 998) characterizing the environment, with particular attention to threatened and endangered species, near Delta, Atlas, and Titan launch facilities. Cape Canaveral has been modified by Air Force development and by 50 years of fire suppression. The dominant vegetation type around the Delta and Atlas launch complexes is coastal oak hammock forest. Oak scrub is the predominant upland vegetation type near the Titan launch complexes. Compositionally, these are coastal scrub communities that has been unburned for > 40 years and have developed into closed canopy, low-stature forests. Herbaceous vegetation around active and inactive facilities, coastal strand and dune vegetation near the Atlantic Ocean, and exotic vegetation in disturbed areas are common. Marsh and estuarine vegetation is most common west of the Titan complexes. Launch effects to vegetation include scorch, acid, and particulate deposition. Discernable, cumulative effects are limited to small areas near the launch complexes. Water quality samples were collected at the Titan, Atlas, and Delta launch complexes in September 1995 (wet season) and January 1996 (dry season). Samples were analyzed for heavy metals, chloride, total organic carbon, calcium, iron, magnesium, sodium, total alkalinity, pH, and conductivity. Differences between fresh, brackish, and saline surface waters were evident. The natural buffering capacity of the environment surrounding the CCAS launch complexes is adequate for neutralizing acid deposition in rainfall and launch deposition. Populations of the Florida Scrub-Jay (Aphelocoma coerulescens), a Federally-listed, threatened species, reside near the launch complexes. Thirty-seven to forty-one scrub-jay territories were located at Titan, Atlas, and Delta launch complexes between 1995 and 1997. No direct impacts to scrub-jays were observed as a result of normal launches. The explosion of the Delta rocket in January 1997 caused direct impacts to the habitat of several scrub-jays families, from fire and debris; however, no scrub-jay mortality was observed. Mortality exceeded reproductive output at all areas over the course of the study. Populations of the southeastern beach mouse (Peromyscus polionotus niveiventris) populations, a Federally listed, threatened species, reside near all the launch complexes. Hurricane Erin and several other tropical storms impacted several areas at the inception of the study in 1995 causing coastal habitat alterations as a result of salt-water intrusion. Both the habitat and the beach mice populations recovered during the course of the study. No direct impacts to southeastern beach mice were observed as a result of normal launch operations. Direct impacts were observed to the habitat as a result of the explosion of the Delta rocket in January 1997. This alteration of the habitat resulted in a shift in use with the mice moving on to the newly burned part of the site. Waterbirds use wetlands and aquatic systems near the launch complexes. Species include the Federally-listed, endangered Wood Stork (Mycferia americana) and several state-listed species of special concern including the Snowy Egret (Egretfa thula fhula), Reddish Egret (Egreffa rufescens rufescens), White Ibis (Eudocimus albus), Roseate Spoonbill (Ajaia ajaja), Tricolored Heron (Egreffa tricolor ruficolis), and Little Blue Heron (Egreffa caerulea). No impacts to these populations resulting from any launch operations were observed. Gopher tortoises (Gopherus polyphemus) also occur around the launch complexes. Most of those observed appeared to be in good condition; however, upper respiratory tract disease is known to occur in the population. Cape Canaveral Air Station, including areas near active launch colexes, remains important habitat for a variety of native plants and animals including threatened and endangered species. Direct negative effects of current launch systems appear limited. Additional monitoring of these populations and habitats is required to determine if subtle, long-term changes are occurring, to determine if new launch systems and facilities cause other effects, and to determine the effects of habitat restoration and management.

Oddy, Donna M.↗
NASA NTRS2015

Climate Variability Drives Plankton Community Composition Changes: the 2010-2011 El Nino to La Nina Transition Around Australia

The strong La Nina of 2010-2011 provided an opportunity to investigate the ecological impacts of El Nino-Southern Oscillation on coastal plankton communities using the nine national reference stations around Australia. Based on remote sensing and across the entire Australian region 2011 (La Nina) was only modestly different from 2010 (El Nino) with the average temperature declining 0.2 percent surface chlorophyll a up 3 percent and modelled primary production down 14 percent. Other changes included a poleward shift in Prochlorococcus and Synechococcus. Along the east coast, there was a reduction in salinity, increase in nutrients, Chlorophytes and Prasinophytes (taxa with chlorophyll b, neoxanthin and prasinoxanthin). The southwest region had a rise in the proportion of 19-hexoyloxyfucoxanthin; possibly coccolithophorids in eddies of the Leeuwin Current and along the sub-tropical front. Pennate diatoms increased, Ceratium spp. decreased and Scrippsiella spp. increased in 2011. Zooplankton biomass declined significantly in 2011. There was a reduction in the abundance of Calocalanus pavo and Temora turbinata and increases in Clausocalanus farrani, Oncaea scottodicarloi and Macrosetella gracilis in 2011. The changes in the plankton community during the strong La Nina of 2011 suggest that this climatic oscillation exacerbates the tropicalization of Australia.

phytoplankton↗
NASA NTRS1999

Environmental Conditions and Threatened and Endangered Species Populations near the Titain, Atlas, and Delta Launch Complexes, Cape Canaveral Air Station

Launches of Delta, Atlas, and Titan rockets from Cape Canaveral Air Station (CCAS) have potential environmental effects. These could occur from direct impacts of launches or indirectly from habitat alterations. This report summarizes a three-year study (1995-1998) characterizing the environment, with particular attention to threatened and endangered species, near Delta, Atlas, and Titan launch facilities. Cape Canaveral has been modified by Air Force development and by 50 years of fire suppression. The dominant vegetation type around the Delta and Atlas launch complexes is coastal oak hammock forest. Oak scrub is the predominant upland vegetation type near the Titan launch complexes. Compositionally, these are coastal scrub communities that has been unburned for greater than 40 years and have developed into closed canopy, low-stature forests. Herbaceous vegetation around active and inactive facilities, coastal strand and dune vegetation near the Atlantic Ocean, and exotic vegetation in disturbed areas are common. Marsh and estuarine vegetation is most common west of the Titan complexes. Launch effects to vegetation include scorch, acid, and particulate deposition. Discernable, cumulative effects are limited to small areas near the launch complexes. Water quality samples were collected at the Titan, Atlas, and Delta launch complexes in September 1995 (wet season) and January 1996 (dry season). Samples were analyzed for heavy metals, chloride, total organic carbon, calcium, iron, magnesium, sodium, total alkalinity, pH, and conductivity. Differences between fresh, brackish, and saline surface waters were evident. The natural buffering capacity of the environment surrounding the CCAS launch complexes is adequate for neutralizing acid deposition in rainfall and launch deposition. Populations of the Florida Scrub-Jay (Aphelocoma coerulescens), a Federally- listed, threatened species, reside near the launch complexes. Thirty-seven to forty-one scrub-jay territories were located at Titan, Atlas, and Delta launch complexes between 1995 and 1997. No direct impacts to scrub-jays were observed as a result of normal launches. The explosion of the Delta rocket in January 1997 caused direct impacts to the habitat of several scrub-jays families, from fire and debris; however, no scrub-jay mortality was observed. Mortality exceeded reproductive output at all areas over the course of the study. Populations of the southeastern beach mouse (Peromyscus polionotus niveiventris) populations, a Federally listed, threatened species, reside near all the launch complexes. Hurricane Erin and several other tropical storms impacted several areas at the inception of the study in 1995 causing coastal habitat alterations as a result of salt-water intrusion. Both the habitat and the beach mice populations recovered during the course of the study. No direct impacts to southeastern beach mice were observed as a result of normal launch operations. Direct impacts were observed to the habitat as a result of the explosion of the Delta rocket in January 1997. This alteration of the habitant resulted in a shift in use with the mice moving on to the newly burned part of the site. Waterbirds use wetlands and aquatic systems near the launch complexes. Species include the Federally-listed, endangered Wood Stork (Mycteria americana) and several state-listed species of special concern including the Snowy Egret (Egretta thula thula), Reddish Egret (Egretta rufescens rufescens), White Ibis (Eudocimus albus), Roseate Spoonbill (Ajaia ajaja), Tricolored Heron (Egretta tricolor ruficolis), and Little Blue Heron (Egretta caerulea). No impacts to these populations resulting from any launch operations were observed. Gopher tortoises (Gopherus polyphemus) also occur around the launch complexes. Most of those observed appeared to be in good condition; however, upper respiratory tract disease is known to occur in the population. Cape Canaveral Air Station, including areas near active launch complexes, remains important habitat for a variety of native plants and animals including threatened and endangered species. Direct negative effects of current launch systems appear limited. Additional monitoring of these populations and habitats is required to determine if subtle, long-term changes are occurring, to determine if new launch systems and facilities cause other effects, and to determine the effects of habitat restoration and management.

Oddy, Donna M.↗
DOE OSTI2023

Long-term warming modulates diversity, vertical structuring of microbial communities, and sulfate reduction in coastal Baltic Sea sediments

Coastal waters such as those found in the Baltic Sea already suffer from anthropogenic related problems including increased algal blooming and hypoxia while ongoing and future climate change will likely worsen these effects. Microbial communities in sediments play a crucial role in the marine energy- and nutrient cycling, and how they are affected by climate change and shape the environment in the future is of great interest. The aims of this study were to investigate potential effects of prolonged warming on microbial community composition and nutrient cycling including sulfate reduction in surface (∼0.5 cm) to deeper sediments (∼ 24 cm). To investigate this, 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing was performed, and sulfate concentrations were measured and compared between sediments in a heated bay (which has been used as a cooling water outlet from a nearby nuclear power plant for approximately 50 years) and a nearby but unaffected control bay. The results showed variation in overall microbial diversity according to sediment depth and higher sulfate flux in the heated bay compared to the control bay. A difference in vertical community structure reflected increased relative abundances of sulfur oxidizing- and sulfate reducing bacteria along with a higher proportion of archaea, such as Bathyarchaeota, in the heated compared to the control bay. This was particularly evident closer to the sediment surface, indicating a compression of geochemical zones in the heated bay. These results corroborate findings in previous studies and additionally point to an amplified effect of prolonged warming deeper in the sediment, which could result in elevated concentrations of toxic compounds and greenhouse gases closer to the sediment surface.

16S rRNA gene amplicon↗
NASA NTRS2012

A New Approach to Monitoring Coastal Marshes for Persistent Flooding

Many areas in coastal Louisiana are below sea level and protected from flooding by a system of natural and man-made levees. Flooding is common when the levees are overtopped by storm surge or rising rivers. Many levees in this region are further stressed by erosion and subsidence. The floodwaters can become constricted by levees and trapped, causing prolonged inundation. Vegetative communities in coastal regions, from fresh swamp forest to saline marsh, can be negatively affected by inundation and changes in salinity. As saltwater persists, it can have a toxic effect upon marsh vegetation causing die off and conversion to open water types, destroying valuable species habitats. The length of time the water persists and the average annual salinity are important variables in modeling habitat switching (cover type change). Marsh type habitat switching affects fish, shellfish, and wildlife inhabitants, and can affect the regional ecosystem and economy. There are numerous restoration and revitalization projects underway in the coastal region, and their effects on the entire ecosystem need to be understood. For these reasons, monitoring persistent saltwater intrusion and inundation is important. For this study, persistent flooding in Louisiana coastal marshes was mapped using MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) time series of a Normalized Difference Water Index (NDWI). The time series data were derived for 2000 through 2009, including flooding due to Hurricane Rita in 2005 and Hurricane Ike in 2008. Using the NDWI, duration and extent of flooding can be inferred. The Time Series Product Tool (TSPT), developed at NASA SSC, is a suite of software developed in MATLAB(R) that enables improved-quality time series images to be computed using advanced temporal processing techniques. This software has been used to compute time series for monitoring temporal changes in environmental phenomena, (e.g. NDVI times series from MODIS), and was modified and used to compute the NDWI indices and also the Normalized Difference Soil Index (NDSI). Coastwide Reference Monitoring System (CRMS) water levels from various hydrologic monitoring stations and aerial photography were used to optimize thresholds for MODIS-derived time series of NDWI and to validate resulting flood maps. In most of the profiles produced for post-hurricane assessment, the increase in the NDWI index (from storm surge) is accompanied by a decrease in the vegetation index (NDVI) and then a period of declining water. The NDSI index represents non-green or dead vegetation and increases after the hurricane s destruction of the marsh vegetation. Behavior of these indices over time is indicative of which areas remain flooded, which areas recover to their former levels of vegetative vigor, and which areas are stressed or in transition. Tracking these indices over time shows the recovery rate of vegetation and the relative behavior to inundation persistence. The results from this study demonstrated that identification of persistent marsh flooding, utilizing the tools developed in this study, provided an approximate 70-80 percent accuracy rate when compared to the actual days flooded at the CRMS stations.

Kalcic, M. T.↗
DOE OSTI2023

The persistence and conversion of coastal foredune and swale vegetation community distributions 63 years later

Vegetation shifts can directly alter habitat dynamics and indirectly impact habitat stability relative to disturbance response. Barrier island dune habitats exhibit spatiotemporally dynamic topography that is affected by vegetation. However, vegetation distribution data can be rare and vegetation persistence is largely unknown such that species turnover over in communities can occur unnoticed. This is true despite concerns and documented cases of woody encroachment related to climate change in these ecogeomorphic habitats where physical stability to resist storm erosion varies with vegetation distribution and density. In 1956 and 1957, the vegetation of Island Beach State Park, NJ, was mapped as a permanent record for subsequent ecological study. In June 2020, we remapped the vegetation of 5.4 of 17 km north to south, seaward of the thicket community boundary. We maintained the same classification system as the historic record, physically mapping vegetation patches via GPS. We quantified changes in thicket, heather, and grass community distribution between the two time periods. Habitat persistence and conversion varied in the 63 years. Heath communities saw 80%–97% habitat loss in conversion to woody thicket. Conversely, thicket community distribution drastically increased, replacing heath where it was previously prevalent. This represents the first known documented instances of woody encroachment for Morella pensylvanica. When they did not expand, thicket communities receded landward or underwent turnover to an invasive species. Woody species of interest for dune stabilization occupied areas of similar habitat characteristics. Dune vegetation distribution persistence from 1957 to 2020 was relatively consistent and stable with the exception of heath habitat conversion. Barrier island stability is directly related to vegetation stability such that understanding where community shifts might occur over time can aid in managing and modeling efforts surrounding these dynamic ecogeomorphic habitats.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2024

Aerial Data and Processed Models of Port Arthur Coastal Neighborhood and Pleasure Island Golf Course, June 2024

Our Co-design team is from the University of Texas, working on a Department of Energy-funded project focused on the Beaumont-Port Arthur area. As part of this project, we will be developing climate-resilient design solutions for areas of the region. More on www.caee.utexas.edu.We captured aerial photos in the Port Arthur Coastal Neighborhood Community and the Golf Course on Pleasure Island, Texas, in June 2024.Aerial photos taken were through DroneDeploy autonomous flight, and models were processed through the DroneDeploy engine as well. All aerial photos are in .JPG format and contained in zipped files for each area.The processed data package includes 3D models, geospatial data, mappings, and point clouds. Please be aware that DTM, Elevation toolbox, Point cloud, and Orthomosaic use EPSG: 6588. And 3D Model uses EPSG: 3857.For using these data:- The Adobe Suite gives you great software to open .Tif files.- You can use LASUtility (Windows), ESRI ArcGIS Pro (Windows), or Blaze3D (Windows, Linux) to open a LAS file and view the data it contains.- Open an .OBJ file with a large number of free and commercial applications. Some examples include Microsoft 3D Builder, Apple Preview, Blender, and Autodesk.- You may use ArcGIS, Merkaartor, Blender (with the Google Earth Importer plug-in), Global Mapper, and Marble to open .KML files.- The .tfw world file is a text file used to georeference the GeoTIFF raster images, like the orthomosaic and the DSM. You need suitable software like ArcView to open a .TFW file.This dataset provides researchers with sufficient geometric data and the status quo of the land surface at the locations mentioned above. This dataset could streamline researchers' decision-making processes and enhance the design as well.

2D mapping↗
DOE OSTI2024

Real-time kinematic (RTK) Drone-collected Data and Processed Models of Port Arthur Coastal Neighborhood and Pleasure Island Golf Course, June 2024

The Southeast Texas Urban Integrated field lab’s Co-design team captured aerial photos in the Port Arthur Coastal Neighborhood Community and the Golf Course on Pleasure Island, Texas, in June 2024. Aerial photos taken were through autonomous flight, and models were processed through the DroneDeploy engine. All aerial photos are in .JPG format and contained in zipped files for each area. The processed data package includes 3D models, geospatial data, mappings, and point clouds. Please be aware that DTM, Elevation toolbox, Point Cloud, and Orthomosaic use EPSG: 6588. And 3D Model uses EPSG: 3857.For using these data:- The Adobe Suite gives you great software to open .Tif files.- You can use LASUtility (Windows), ESRI ArcGIS Pro (Windows), or Blaze3D (Windows, Linux) to open a LAS file and view the data it contains.- Open an .OBJ file with a large number of free and commercial applications. Some examples include Microsoft 3D Builder, Apple Preview, Blender, and Autodesk.- You may use ArcGIS, Merkaartor, Blender (with the Google Earth Importer plug-in), Global Mapper, and Marble to open .KML files.- The .tfw world file is a text file used to georeference the GeoTIFF raster images, like the orthomosaic and the DSM. You need suitable software like ArcView to open a .TFW file.This dataset provides researchers with sufficient geometric data and the status quo of the land surface at the locations mentioned above. This dataset will support researchers' decision-making processes under uncertainties.

2D mapping↗
NASA NTRS2003

Methane Production by Microbial Mats Under Low Sulfate Concentrations

Cyanobacterial mats collected in hypersaline salterns were incubated in a greenhouse under low sulfate concentrations ([SO4]) and examined for their primary productivity and emissions of methane and other major carbon species. Atmospheric greenhouse warming by gases such as carbon dioxide and methane must have been greater during the Archean than today in order to account for a record of moderate to warm paleoclemates, despite a less luminous early sun. It has been suggested that decreased levels of oxygen and sulfate in Archean oceans could have significantly stimulated microbial methanogenesis relative to present marine rates, with a resultant increase in the relative importance of methane in maintaining the early greenhouse. We maintained modern microbial mats, models of ancient coastal marine communities, in artificial brine mixtures containing both modern [SO4=] (ca. 70 mM) and "Archean" [SO4] (less than 0.2 mM). At low [SO4], primary production in the mats was essentially unaffected, while rates of sulfate reduction decreased by a factor of three, and methane fluxes increased by up to ten-fold. However, remineralization by methanogenesis still amounted to less than 0.4 % of the total carbon released by the mats. The relatively low efficiency of conversion of photosynthate to methane is suggested to reflect the particular geometry and chemical microenvironment of hypersaline cyanobacterial mats. Therefore, such mats w-ere probably relatively weak net sources of methane throughout their 3.5 Ga history, even during periods of low- environmental levels oxygen and sulfate.

Bebout, Brad M.↗
DOE OSTI2021

Research and Development Pathways for Powering the Blue Economy with Marine Renewable Energy

As marine renewable energy technology is adapted or designed for Blue Economy end-uses, challenges unique to operation at sea and in remote coastal areas must be addressed to meet demands distinct from utility grid electricity generation. Foundational research and development with this end goal is conducted to broadly enable the initiative of Powering the Blue Economy. Determination of distinct R&D topics is informed by pathways including an engineering design customer-driven approach and feedback from the creation and administration of prize competitions in the Blue Economy technology space. Critical research outcomes, such as determining the performance of small wave energy converters and benchmarking the reliability for power systems at sea, are among the goals of ten foundational R&D projects currently underway.

customer discovery↗
DOE OSTI2022

Powering the Blue Economy and Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations

This presentation provides a brief overview of Powering the Blue Economy effort from the Department of Energy and how National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) provides support to this effort. Additionally, the presentation will cover how NREL supports the new Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations.

clean energy demonstrations↗