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DOE OSTI2026

Pre- and post-coppice production and biomass chemistry of eastern cottonwood and hybrid poplars in the southeastern US

Sustainably grown feedstocks for bioenergy and bioproducts are important tools to fight climate change, provide ecosystem services, and sequester carbon. Populus species including hybrid poplars have been utilized around the world, and in the southeastern US native eastern cottonwood (P. deltoides) is often favored due to its resistance to stem cankers. However, P. deltoides has historically been grown in single stem production and its relative performance in short rotation coppice production, prevalent in Europe, is not well documented. Therefore, this study's goals were to evaluate eastern cottonwood (D × D) and hybrid poplar (P. deltoides × P. maximowiczii (D × M) and P. deltoides × P. trichocarpa (D × T) taxa) productivity under a two-year establishment and two-year coppice cycle, analyze biomass chemistry properties, identify drivers of productivity, and select clones suited for marginal vs. optimal sites. We found that D × M and D × D grew best in both establishment and coppice rotation with production increasing after coppice. Taxa and clones exhibited few differences in select biomass chemistry properties despite differences in growth rate and stem size. Across years and sites, production was correlated with the soil's carbon to nitrogen ratio, percentage of sand, and shrink-swell potential of the soil. A D × M clone ‘9709’ tended to perform better than other tested clones on marginal sites and had the highest survival rate after four years. Overall, this research suggests that Populus species can be grown in coppice rotation in the southeastern US with the potential for hybrid poplars to be successful on certain sites in the region although longer term studies are necessary to confirm these results.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

DOE OSTI2018

Contribution of climate and land cover changes to reduction in soil erosion rates within small cultivated catchments in the eastern part of the Russian Plain during the last 60 years

Highlights: • The soil erosion has decreased at least 2–3 times over the last 30 years at the RP. • The increase in winter air temperature is the key reason for the soil loss reduction. • The crop rotation changes is the factor of erosion rate reduction at the forest zone. The eastern part of the Russian Plain is an important agricultural region of European Russia with high proportion of cultivated lands in the steppe, forest-steppe and forest (southern part) landscape zones. Soil erosion is the main process of land degradation and surface water contamination there. Climate and land cover changes have been observed in this region during the last 30 years. However, field quantitative assessments of soil erosion rates are not available for the eastern part of European Russia due to the lack of monitoring data as well as the evaluation of erosion/deposition processes in cultivated catchments using other field methods. Three representative small cultivated catchments with high (> 80%) proportion of cultivated lands were selected in the forest (southern part), forest-steppe and steppe zones of the study region to evaluate sedimentation rates in dry valley bottoms of the catchments for two-time intervals (1963–1986 and 1987–2016) based on the application of the bomb-derived and Chernobyl-derived {sup 137}Cs isotope for sediment dating. The 3–4 depth {sup 137}Cs profiles were used to assess the sedimentation rates within the each investigated catchment. It was established that the sedimentation rates have considerably decreased (at least 2–3 times) over the last 30 years compared to 1963–1986 in all the investigated catchments. This is in agreement with results of erosion rate calculations using erosion models for the forest zone, however not consistent with erosion rates assessments for the forest-steppe and steppe zones. According to the model calculations, erosion rates show a slight decrease in the forest-steppe zone and increase in the steppe zone. The reduction in surface runoff during snowmelt period is one of the reasons for decrease in erosion rates within cultivated slopes for all the investigated catchments. The increase in proportion of perennial grasses in the regional crop rotation is another important reason for the decrease in erosion rates for the catchment located in the south of the forest zone. The importance of land cover changes in a major decrease of soil losses from the cultivated fields of the investigated catchments located in the forest-steppe and steppe zones cannot be identified due to the lack detailed information about crop rotation for those particular sites. However, available regional information about crop rotation changes for the two-time intervals (1960–1980 and 1996–2012) do not explain very high reduction in sedimentation rates in the dry valley bottoms after 1986.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

DOE OSTI2017

Rapid warming forces contrasting growth trends of subalpine fir ( Abies fabri ) at higher- and lower-elevations in the eastern Tibetan Plateau

Tree radial growth is expected to increase at higher elevations under climate warming, while lower elevation tree growth is expected to decline. However, numerous studies have found tree radial growth responds consistently to climate along elevational gradients. Here, we sampled five plots across the subalpine Abies fabri forest belt on Gongga Mountain in the eastern Tibetan Plateau to determine tree radial growth trends and responses to climate. Three commonly used detrending methods all consistently showed that tree radial growth at high elevation (> 3100 m) increased, while tree growth declined at the lower elevations (2700 m–2900 m) over the last three decades. Increasing late-growing season temperature positively (p < 0.05) correlated to tree radial growth at higher elevations, but the sign of this relationship reversed to become negative at lower elevations. Moving-window correlation analyses indicated the difference between high and low elevations response to temperature variation increased strongly with warming. Placing our result into the global context, 62% of 39 published studies found that trees along elevation gradients respond divergently to warming, and that these are located in warmer and wetter regions of the Earth. Notably, 28% of studies found non-significant responses to temperature at both high and low elevations. Our findings in the subalpine mountain forest in the eastern Tibetan Plateau were consistent with the majority of published datasets, and imply increasing temperature benefit for tree populations at higher elevation, while warming dampens growth at lower elevations.

climate warming↗

DOE OSTI2022

Observed Relationships Between Cloud Droplet Effective Radius and Biogenic Gas Concentrations in Summertime Marine Stratocumulus Over the Eastern North Atlantic

Abstract Biogenic gases are a prominent component of the summertime marine boundary layer (MBL) over the Eastern North Atlantic. One of these gases, dimethyl sulfide (DMS), can produce sulfate cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) that, in theory, can brighten clouds through photolysis, and produces a reaction product, methane sulfonic acid (MSA). It is also possible that DMS can interact with sea‐salt or other marine aerosols changing their CCN activation spectrum, which could also modify cloud microphysical structure. Data collected aboard the G1 aircraft during the Aerosol Cloud Experiment Eastern North Atlantic (ACE‐ENA) in well‐mixed and decoupled marine boundary layers (MBLs) were used to examine relationships between the cloud droplet effective radii, , and the concentrations of DMS and MSA in constant cloud liquid water content (LWC) bins. A weak but statistically significant negative correlation was observed between CCN concentration and in most LWC bins, regardless of the source of the CCN, while a weak but statistically significant positive correlation between and DMS was observed. No correlation between the cloud droplet number concentration and DMS was found. The presence of MSA indicated that DMS‐to‐sulfate photolysis was likely occurring, but data sparsity prevented a statistically significant conclusion regarding the relationship between MSA and . Data sparsity in decoupled conditions also prevented statistically significant conclusions. To properly address biogenic gas impacts on cloud microphysics, it is recommended that aircraft data be supplemented by long‐term biogenic gas measurements at the surface in marine locations with appropriate remote and in‐situ cloud sensing capabilities, and the analysis limited to well‐mixed MBL's.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

DOE OSTI2022

Steady Long-term Slip Rate on the Blue Cut Fault: Implications for Ongoing Block Rotation in the Eastern Transverse Ranges, CA

We report the Eastern Transverse Ranges (ETR) province of California contains a system of E-W-trending left-lateral faults accommodating clockwise block rotation between the San Andreas Fault (SAF) system in the Coachella Valley and the Eastern California Shear Zone (ECSZ) in the Mojave Desert. Building upon established geometric relationships, we estimate that this rotation across the ETR may transfer right-lateral strain from the SAF to the ECSZ at a time-averaged rate of ~4.3–7.7 mm/yr. Through geomorphic mapping and the analysis of 38 10 Be surface exposure samples, we derive a long-term slip rate of 1.26 ± 0.50 (2σ) mm/yr over the late Pleistocene, yet analysis of the displacement record indicates a rate decrease ~71 kya. While a rate change on this fault could have implications for possible plate boundary reorganization in this area, we argue that this slip rate variability more likely reflects routine fluctuation about a steady lifetime slip rate.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗

DOE OSTI2017

Mapping water availability, cost and projected consumptive use in the Eastern United States with comparisons to the West

The availability of freshwater supplies to meet future demand is a growing concern. Water availability metrics are needed to inform future water development decisions. Furthermore, with the help of water managers, water availability was mapped for over 1300 watersheds throughout the 31-contiguous states in the eastern U.S. complimenting a prior study of the west. The compiled set of water availability data is unique in that it considers multiple sources of water (fresh surface and groundwater, wastewater and brackish groundwater); accommodates institutional controls placed on water use; is accompanied by cost estimates to access, treat and convey each unique source of water, and; is compared to projected future growth in consumptive water use to 2030. Although few administrative limits have been set on water availability in the east, water managers have identified 315 fresh surface water and 398 fresh groundwater basins (with 151 overlapping basins) as Areas of Concern (AOCs) where water supply challenges exist due to drought related concerns, environmental flows, groundwater overdraft, or salt water intrusion. This highlights a difference in management where AOCs are identified in the east which simply require additional permitting, while in the west strict administrative limits are established. Although the east is generally considered "water rich" roughly a quarter of the basins were identified as AOCs; however, this is still in strong contrast to the west where 78% of the surface water basins are operating at or near their administrative limit. There was little effort noted on the part of eastern or western water managers to quantify non-fresh water resources.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗

DOE OSTI2020

Seismotectonic evidence for subduction beneath the Eastern Greater Caucasus

SUMMARY We generated high-resolution 3-D seismic velocity models as well as a relocated earthquake catalogue across the eastern Greater Caucasus and Kura basins. This work was done using data from the recently upgraded Republic Seismological Survey Center's (RSSC) seismic network. We generated our tomographic images of crustal velocity structure in Azerbaijan using double-difference inversions (i.e. tomoDD and hypoDD). Earthquake catalogues from the RSSC between 2011 and 2016 were used; these catalogues include absolute arrival times of 103 288 P- and 120 952 S-wave traveltime picks for 7574 events recorded at 35 stations in Azerbaijan. Beginning with a layered, 1-D velocity model that was estimated using VELEST, we inverted simultaneously for relative location, Vp and Vs on a 3-D grid with dimensions 670 × 445 × 45 km, with a uniform grid spacing of 55 × 55 × 5 km for all of Azerbaijan. We observe that the relocated hypocentres cluster into two depth ranges, at the surface and at depth, that appear to correspond to major fault zones and the top of a subducting plate. Additionally, we note intermediate depth seismicity (∼50–60 km) beneath the Kura Basin, and a northward deepening of earthquake depths. Seismic velocities vary significantly throughout the study region; we observe very slow velocities throughout the Kura Basin between 5 and 15 km, and elevated velocities at 20–35 km. The wholesale velocity structure and seismic structure of Kura Basin strongly mirrors that of the Caspian Sea, which suggests that the geodynamics of the Caspian continue westwards into Azerbaijan. The key results of this study suggest that the northward subduction observed in the Caspian Sea continues beneath the Eastern Greater Caucasus, as well as provides evidence for active faulting along the southern margin of the mountain range.

Gunnels, Michael↗

DOE OSTI2018

Seascape genomics of eastern oyster ( Crassostrea virginica ) along the Atlantic coast of Canada

Abstract Interactions between environmental factors and complex life‐history characteristics of marine organisms produce the genetic diversity and structure observed within species. Our main goal was to test for genetic differentiation among eastern oyster populations from the coastal region of Canadian Maritimes against expected genetic homogeneity caused by historical events, taking into account spatial and environmental (temperature, salinity, turbidity) variation. This was achieved by genotyping 486 individuals originating from 13 locations using RADSeq. A total of 11,321 filtered SNPs were used in a combination of population genomics and environmental association analyses. We revealed significant neutral genetic differentiation (mean F ST = 0.009) between sampling locations, and the occurrence of six major genetic clusters within the studied system. Redundancy analyses (RDAs) revealed that spatial and environmental variables explained 3.1% and 4.9% of the neutral genetic variation and 38.6% and 12.2% of the putatively adaptive genetic variation, respectively. These results indicate that these environmental factors play a role in the distribution of both neutral and putatively adaptive genetic diversity in the system. Moreover, polygenic selection was suggested by genotype–environment association analysis and significant correlations between additive polygenic scores and temperature and salinity. We discuss our results in the context of their conservation and management implications for the eastern oyster.

Bernatchez, Simon↗

DOE OSTI2020

Foliar functional traits from imaging spectroscopy across biomes in eastern North America

Summary Foliar functional traits are widely used to characterize leaf and canopy properties that drive ecosystem processes and to infer physiological processes in Earth system models. Imaging spectroscopy provides great potential to map foliar traits to characterize continuous functional variation and diversity, but few studies have demonstrated consistent methods for mapping multiple traits across biomes. With airborne imaging spectroscopy data and field data from 19 sites, we developed trait models using partial least squares regression, and mapped 26 foliar traits in seven NEON (National Ecological Observatory Network) ecoregions (domains) including temperate and subtropical forests and grasslands of eastern North America. Model validation accuracy varied among traits (normalized root mean squared error, 9.1–19.4%; coefficient of determination, 0.28–0.82), with phenolic concentration, leaf mass per area and equivalent water thickness performing best across domains. Across all trait maps, 90% of vegetated pixels had reasonable values for one trait, and 28–81% provided high confidence for multiple traits concurrently. Maps of 26 traits and their uncertainties for eastern US NEON sites are available for download, and are being expanded to the western United States and tundra/boreal zone. These data enable better understanding of trait variations and relationships over large areas, calibration of ecosystem models, and assessment of continental‐scale functional diversity.

Wang, Zhihui↗

DOE OSTI2016

Surface uplift and time-dependent seismic hazard due to fluid injection in eastern Texas

Observations that unequivocally link seismicity and wastewater injection are scarce. We show that wastewater injection in eastern Texas causes uplift, detectable in radar interferometric data up to >8 kilometers from the wells. Using measurements of uplift, reported injection data, and a poroelastic model, we computed the crustal strain and pore pressure. We infer that an increase of >1 megapascal in pore pressure in rocks with low compressibility triggers earthquakes, including the 4.8–moment magnitude event that occurred on 17 May 2012, the largest earthquake recorded in eastern Texas. Seismic activity increased even while injection rates declined, owing to diffusion of pore pressure from earlier periods with higher injection rates. Finally, induced seismicity potential is suppressed where tight confining formations prevent pore pressure from propagating into crystalline basement rocks.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗

DOE OSTI2024

Drug providers’ perspectives on antibiotic misuse practices in eastern Ethiopia: a qualitative study

Objective Antibiotic misuse includes using them to treat colds and influenza, obtaining them without a prescription, not finishing the prescribed course and sharing them with others. Although drug providers are well positioned to advise clients on proper stewardship practices, antibiotic misuse continues to rise in Ethiopia. It necessitates an understanding of why drug providers failed to limit such risky behaviours. This study aimed to explore drug providers’ perspectives on antibiotic misuse practices in eastern Ethiopia. Setting The study was conducted in rural Haramaya district and Harar town, eastern Ethiopia. Design and participants An exploratory qualitative study was undertaken between March and June 2023, among the 15 drug providers. In-depth interviews were conducted using pilot-tested, semistructured questions. The interviews were transcribed verbatim, translated into English and analysed thematically. The analyses considered the entire dataset and field notes. Results The study identified self-medication pressures, non-prescribed dispensing motives, insufficient regulatory functions and a lack of specific antibiotic use policy as the key contributors to antibiotic misuse. We found previous usage experience, a desire to avoid extra costs and a lack of essential diagnostics and antibiotics in public institutions as the key drivers of non-prescribed antibiotic access from private drug suppliers. Non-prescribed antibiotic dispensing in pharmacies was driven by client satisfaction, financial gain, business survival and market competition from informal sellers. Antibiotic misuse in the setting has also been linked to traditional and ineffective dispensing audits, inadequate regulatory oversights and policy gaps. Conclusion This study highlights profits and oversimplified access to antibiotics as the main motivations for their misuse. It also identifies the traditional antibiotic dispensing audit as an inefficient regulatory operation. Hence, enforcing specific antibiotic usage policy guidance that entails an automated practice audit, a responsible office and insurance coverage for persons with financial limitations can help optimise antibiotic use while reducing resistance consequences.

General & Internal Medicine↗

DOE OSTI2019

Spatial variation in oak ( Quercus spp.) radial growth responses to drought stress in eastern North America

Dendroecology provides a means to evaluate how mature trees have responded to climate stresses in the recent past and provides one approach for projecting how existing forests will respond to future climate change. This study documented spatial variation in the strength of growth–climate associations for six oak (Quercus) species at 284 sites in eastern North America that span substantial gradients of temperature and site water balance. Radial growth of oaks was more strongly related to growing-season precipitation and the ratio of precipitation to potential evapotranspiration at sites in the western part of the study region where drought conditions occur more frequently. Growth was more strongly related to growing-season mean maximum temperature in the warmer, southern part of the study region. Growth of oaks was not strongly related to site water balance or temperature in the northeastern part of the study region. These results indicate that if climate change results in increased growing-season drought stress, this will adversely affect mature oak trees growing in the southern and western parts of eastern North America, but oaks growing in northeastern North America have more safe space for change before they will suffer reduced growth and vigor.

Forestry↗

DOE OSTI2021

Short-term exposure to elevated suspended sediment increases oxygen uptake of gilled larval Eastern Hellbender ( Cryptobranchus alleganiensis ) salamanders

Freshwater ecosystems are increasingly impacted by anthropogenic elevated levels of suspended sediment that may negatively affect aquatic organisms, including salamanders. Although increasing fine sediment in streams has been suggested as a reason for population declines, to date no study has empirically assessed the effect of suspended sediment on gilled larval Eastern Hellbenders (Cryptobranchus alleganiensis (Sonnini de Manoncourt and Latreille, 1801)), a critical life-history stage and a species of conservation concern. We used custom respirometers to elucidate effects of suspended sediments on larval Eastern Hellbender oxygen uptake in trials conducted in situ in Georgia (USA) streams. Mean oxygen uptake increased and was significantly higher in trials when larval salamanders were exposed to suspended sediment (mean = 5.06 mg O 2 /L for 800 mg/L of sediment treatment vs. 2.25 mg O 2 /L for 0.00 mg/L of sediment control). This may indicate elevated physiological stress in response to short-term exposure to suspended sediments. Qualitatively, individuals in both groups exhibited rocking behavior in response to low oxygen (hypoxia), albeit at different frequencies (sediment exposure = 7.6 rocks/min and control = 2.1 rocks/min). Larval salamanders may be able to temporarily compensate for low oxygen through increased rocking behavior when high suspended sediment loads are present, with future respirometry research needed.

hypoxia↗

DOE OSTI2014

Trend of Surface Air Temperature in Eastern China and Associated Large-Scale Climate Variability over the Last 100 Years

Using the reconstructed continuous and homogenized surface air temperature (SAT) series for 16 cities across eastern China (where the greatest industrial developments in China have taken place) back to the nineteenth century, the authors examine linear trends of SAT. The regional-mean SAT over eastern China shows a warming trend of 1.52°C (100 yr) –1 during 1909–2010. It mainly occurred in the past 4 decades and this agrees well with the variability in another SAT series developed from a much denser station network (over 400 sites) across this part of China since 1951. This study collects population data for 245 sites (from these 400+ locations) and split these into five equally sized groups based on population size. Comparison of these five groups across different durations from 30 to 60 yr in length indicates that differences in population only account for between 9% and 24% of the warming since 1951. To show that a larger urbanization impact is very unlikely, the study additionally determines how much can be explained by some large-scale climate indices. Anomalies of large-scale climate indices such as the tropical Indian Ocean SST and the Siberian atmospheric circulation systems account for at least 80% of the total warming trends.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

DOE OSTI2017

Detectable Anthropogenic Shift toward Heavy Precipitation over Eastern China

Abstract Changes in precipitation characteristics directly affect society through their impacts on drought and floods, hydro-dams, and urban drainage systems. Global warming increases the water holding capacity of the atmosphere and thus the risk of heavy precipitation. Here, daily precipitation records from over 700 Chinese stations from 1956 to 2005 are analyzed. The results show a significant shift from light to heavy precipitation over eastern China. An optimal fingerprinting analysis of simulations from 11 climate models driven by different combinations of historical anthropogenic (greenhouse gases, aerosols, land use, and ozone) and natural (volcanic and solar) forcings indicates that anthropogenic forcing on climate, including increases in greenhouse gases (GHGs), has had a detectable contribution to the observed shift toward heavy precipitation. Some evidence is found that anthropogenic aerosols (AAs) partially offset the effect of the GHG forcing, resulting in a weaker shift toward heavy precipitation in simulations that include the AA forcing than in simulations with only the GHG forcing. In addition to the thermodynamic mechanism, strengthened water vapor transport from the adjacent oceans and by midlatitude westerlies, resulting mainly from GHG-induced warming, also favors heavy precipitation over eastern China. Further GHG-induced warming is predicted to lead to an increasing shift toward heavy precipitation, leading to increased urban flooding and posing a significant challenge for mega-cities in China in the coming decades. Future reductions in AA emissions resulting from air pollution controls could exacerbate this tendency toward heavier precipitation.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

DOE OSTI2026

An Updated Synthesis of the Projectile Point Typology and Chronology of Eastern Idaho

The eastern Idaho archaeological record is a unique confluence of the Great Basin, Columbia Plateau, and Great Plains, resulting in a diverse and complex projectile point sequence. This study presents a revised typology and chronology of projectile points in the region, grounded in a comprehensive review of over 750 diagnostic examples from 16 stratified sites and 110 associated radiocarbon dates. We reevaluate existing classifications and propose a revised chronological framework with regionally appropriate types. This study provides a thorough background to eastern Idaho projectile points and contributes to broader discussions of projectile point typology and chronology in the Desert West, offering a robust tool for future archaeological research in the region.

99 - GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS↗

DOE OSTI2022

Soil organic matter, tree communities, and fungal communities across mycorrhizal gradients in the Eastern United States

We collected these data to investigate how mycorrhizal associations are related to soil C and N across four sites in the eastern U.S. broadleaf forest biome, which capture broad variability in climate and tree species. Our sites represented each of the four ecoregions in the eastern United States temperate forest—warm continental (New Hampshire), hot continental (Wisconsin), Prairie (Illinios), and subtropical (Georgia). This breadth naturally provided tree species diversity and allowed us to also investigate how soil C and N are related to canopy tree and EcM fungal community composition. Specifically, we analyzed the effects of mycorrhizal association, canopy tree family, and EcM fungal taxa on the proportion of C and N associated with soil minerals (MAOM) and bulk soil C:N. These are plot level data from forests in New Hampshire, Georgia, Wisconsin, and Illinois. The plots are 10 m in radius and vary across gradients of ectomycorrhizal tree basal area. Within each plot, data include the basal area of all trees >2 cm in diameter identified to species, the abundance of different fungal taxa based on ITS sequences, and the %C, %N, C:N of bulk soil and of soil density fractions (free light, occluded light, and particulate) as well as the proportion of soil C and N within each fraction. The soil data (both organic matter and fungal communities) are from the top 10 cm of the mineral soil. This also includes a meta-analysis of leaf litter k and C:N values for the tree species present in the forests.The "Tree_BA_ALL.csv" files include the basal area of all trees >2 cm in diameter at breast height within our 10 cm radii plots. The "Soil_Data_Final.csv" file contains the soil carbon and nitrogen in bulk and density fractions (concentrations as well as proportion for free light fraction (fLF), occluded light fraction (oLF), and heavy or dense fraction (HF), oxalate extractable iron and aluminum concentrations, as well as the geographic coordinates of each plot's location. The "FungiNonRelative.csv" file contains the abundances of fungal taxa identified via ITS sequencing for each plot (with the exception of 4 plots from GA where there was not enough quality DNA to extract).The "R_ReadyK.csv" and "R_Ready_CN.csv" files contain leaf litter decomposition constant (k) and C:N values from the literature for the tree species found at our sites.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

DOE OSTI2016

Internal Body Temperatures of an Overwintering Adult Terrapene carolina (Eastern Box Turtle)

Terrapene carolina (Eastern Box Turtle) is the only turtle species in which adults are known to be tolerant of freezing. We report the first systematically collected data on internal body temperatures of an overwintering Eastern Box Turtle. Despite nearby air temperatures as low as -21.8 °C, this turtle probably supercooled rather than froze. Snow cover, thermal inertia, and the insulating effects of its refugium’s substrate may have protected this turtle from the very cold conditions.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗