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All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2025

PubChemLite Plus Collision Cross Section (CCS) Values for Enhanced Interpretation of Nontarget Environmental Data

Finding relevant chemicals in the vast (known) chemical space is a major challenge for environmental and exposomics studies leveraging nontarget high resolution mass spectrometry (NT-HRMS) methods. Chemical databases now contain hundreds of millions of chemicals, yet many are not relevant. This article details an extensive collaborative, open science effort to provide a dynamic collection of chemicals for environmental, metabolomics, and exposomics research, along with supporting information about their relevance to assist researchers in the interpretation of candidate hits. The PubChemLite for Exposomics collection is compiled from ten annotation categories within PubChem, enhanced with patent, literature and annotation counts, predicted partition coefficient (logP) values, as well as predicted collision cross section (CCS) values using CCSbase. Monthly versions are archived on Zenodo under a CC-BY license, supporting reproducible research, and a new interface has been developed, including historical trends of patent and literature data, for researchers to browse the collection. This article details how PubChemLite can support researchers in environmental and exposomics studies, describes efforts to increase the availability of experimental CCS values, and explores known limitations and potential for future developments. The data and code behind these efforts are openly available.

PubChem↗
DOE OSTI2024

A Pathway Analysis Framework for Evaluating the Economic and Environmental Viability of Biomass-Based Plastic Production

Plastic production from fossil feedstocks (e.g., naphtha, coal, and natural gas) is not sustainable and causes known environmental impacts such as global warming. A possible solution is to shift production pathways to use biomass, which is a sustainable feedstock that can sequester atmospheric carbon dioxide. This study presents an optimization-based pathway analysis framework for evaluating the carbon footprints of the production of mainstream plastics from biomass and fossil feedstocks. We use the modeling framework to quickly navigate complex interdependencies that exist between the production pathways of different plastics and to determine pathways of minimum production cost under a range of carbon pricing scenarios. The framework interprets carbon prices as an exogenous taxation scheme or an endogenous negative value perceived by producers. The proposed approach reveals the biomass feedstock quantities needed to displace fossil counterparts and the plastics and technologies that should be prioritized. The framework can also be used for evaluating system-wide trade-offs between production costs and carbon footprints that arise from pathway interdependencies. We also evaluate hidden environmental impacts associated with the large-scale use of biomass as a feedstock, such as land use and water eutrophication that results from a significant increase in fertilizer use. Therefore, it is important to highlight that there are trade-offs between decarbonization and other environmental issues. Here, the proposed framework provides an integrative platform for basic techno-economic and life-cycle data that can be used for analyzing diverse scenarios and determining necessary technology targets (e.g., yields, footprints, and costs) to achieve required levels of decarbonization.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2026

Developing Scenario‐Based Strategies for Health, Climate, and Environmental Preparedness: The One Health, One Earth Approach

Climate change amplifies many threats to human health. Despite advances in understanding climate change dynamics and impacts, there remains a critical gap in translating scientific knowledge into equitable, and community-driven health interventions. The inaugural One Earth, One Health workshop sought to explore this gap through human-centered design exercises involving interdisciplinary researchers from climate and Earth sciences, engineering, epidemiology, microbiology, and environmental health. Although participants did not co-develop solutions with affected communities, they used stakeholder role-playing to guide ideation and lay groundwork for actionable plans. Through these methods, participants identified community needs and proposed prototype solutions to alleviate health threats exacerbated by global environmental change. Prototypes were organized around infectious diseases, extreme weather, and air quality, as illustrative themes rather than an exhaustive set of risks. Key solutions included strategies for anticipatory systems and early warning (e.g., integrating environmental signals with health data), inclusive communication and infrastructure needs for responding to extreme weather events, and integrated platforms visualizing air quality trends to support tailored, context-aware guidance beyond one-size-fits-all alerts. The workshop highlighted opportunities such as leveraging machine learning, Earth observation, and real-time surveillance to protect communities, but also noted barriers including data quality, technological redundancy, privacy, and governance challenges. Additionally, participants emphasized the need for interdisciplinary teams capable of collaborating across sectors, breaking down silos and addressing gaps in training and education. Overall, the workshop illustrates how process-driven, human-centered approaches can help surface user needs and generate testable prototype concepts, while underscoring the importance of direct community partnership for implementation.

Abadi, Azar M. [University of Alabama, Birmingham,↗
DOE OSTI2025

Evaluating the feasibility of LA-ICP-TOF-MS for the analysis of environmental particle collections

Laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-time-of-flight-mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-TOF-MS) was employed to rapidly analyze environmental particle samples collected using aerosol contaminate extractors (ACE). The ACE particle collectors were placed at various distances (0.5, 1.3, and 4.5 km) from a source that released Ru-bearing particles. Samples for measurement were then generated (as sub-samples) from the ACE collection plates via particle “lift off” with gunshot residue (GSR) tabs. The LA-ICP-TOF-MS method was employed such that 10+ samples could be analyzed in a single unattended analytical session. A 3 × 1 mm area of individual GSR tab samples were analyzed in less than 30 minutes. This provided spatially resolved elemental and isotopic measurements of the particulate content and confirmed the presence of Ru-bearing particles within the complex background environmental particle loading. As anticipated, measurements showed collectors closest to the source had the highest concentration of the released Ru-bearing particles, while all collectors, regardless of distance, contained similar levels of background particles (e.g., Fe and Sr). Sequential scanning electron microscopy – automated particle analysis (SEM-APA) and LA-ICP-TOF-MS analysis was employed for method validation and a demonstration of the multi-modal approach. The same 2-dimensional region was analyzed by both methods and the particles identified via SEM-APA were also detected using LA-ICP-TOF-MS, with 100% accuracy. Overall, LA-ICP-TOF-MS demonstrated its utility for rapid elemental and isotopic particle analysis from environmental air samples.

Manard, Benjamin T. [Oak Ridge National Laboratory↗
DOE OSTI2025

Environmental drivers of spatial variation in tropical forest canopy height: Insights from NASA’s GEDI spaceborne LiDAR

Forest canopy height is a fundamental ecosystem property—influencing patterns of forest carbon storage and forest ecosystem responses to climate variability and change. Previous studies have analyzed environmental drivers influencing spatial variation in canopy height at landscape-to-regional scales; however, far less is known about the environmental determinants underlying regional and global scale variation in forest canopy height. Using the canopy height metrics products from Global Ecosystem Dynamics Investigation (GEDI), a space-borne Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) instrument specifically designed to characterize forest structure, we analyze the environmental correlates of spatial variation of global tropical forest canopy height. Our study demonstrates that climate, topography, and soil properties account for 75% of the variation in tropical forest canopy height. Elevation, dry season length, and solar radiation are the most important drivers in determining canopy height both locally and regionally. These results emphasize the vulnerability of tropical forest structure to ongoing changes in the earth’s climate and provide a valuable empirical baseline for tropical forest management.

Science & Technology - Other Topics↗
DOE OSTI2026

Association of short-term ambient environmental exposures with suicide and drug overdose deaths among U.S. Veterans

This study examined associations between short-term ambient environmental exposures and suicide (n = 3210) and overdose mortality (n = 4293; 2226 opioid-related) among U.S. Veterans from 2018 to 2019. Daily exposure to 24-hour maximum temperature, average atmospheric pressure, average fine particulate matter (PM 2.5 ), 1-hour maximum nitrogen dioxide (NO 2 ), and 8-hour maximum ozone (O 3 ) was assessed at the decedent's county of residence on the day of death and up to 6 days prior. A national bi-directional, time-stratified case-crossover design was applied. Conditional logistic regression models estimated associations between each exposure and suicide or overdose deaths, overall, and stratified by season, region, elevation, and urbanicity. Over lag days 0-1, an interquartile range increase in maximum temperature was associated with increased suicide (19%) and overdose (27%) mortality, with stronger summer effects for suicide (55%) and overdose (71%). In winter, interquartile range increases in atmospheric pressure, PM 2.5 , and NO 2 were associated with 104%, 15%, and 19% increases in suicide mortality. Maximum temperature was associated with a 22% increase in suicide risk in metropolitan areas and 57% in the Western U.S., while NO 2 was associated with a 26% increase in overdose mortality in nonmetropolitan areas. Findings suggest environmental stressors contribute to suicide and overdose mortality among Veterans, supporting environmentally informed prevention efforts.

air pollution↗
DOE OSTI2024

Preserving isohydricity: vertical environmental variability explains Amazon forest water-use strategies

Abstract Increases in hydrological extremes, including drought, are expected for Amazon forests. A fundamental challenge for predicting forest responses lies in identifying ecological strategies which underlie such responses. Characterization of species-specific hydraulic strategies for regulating water-use, thought to be arrayed along an ‘isohydric–anisohydric’ spectrum, is a widely used approach. However, recent studies have questioned the usefulness of this classification scheme, because its metrics are strongly influenced by environments, and hence can lead to divergent classifications even within the same species. Here, we propose an alternative approach positing that individual hydraulic regulation strategies emerge from the interaction of environments with traits. Specifically, we hypothesize that the vertical forest profile represents a key gradient in drought-related environments (atmospheric vapor pressure deficit, soil water availability) that drives divergent tree water-use strategies for coordinated regulation of stomatal conductance (gs) and leaf water potentials (ΨL) with tree rooting depth, a proxy for water availability. Testing this hypothesis in a seasonal eastern Amazon forest in Brazil, we found that hydraulic strategies indeed depend on height-associated environments. Upper canopy trees, experiencing high vapor pressure deficit (VPD), but stable soil water access through deep rooting, exhibited isohydric strategies, defined by little seasonal change in the diurnal pattern of gs and steady seasonal minimum ΨL. In contrast, understory trees, exposed to less variable VPD but highly variable soil water availability, exhibited anisohydric strategies, with fluctuations in diurnal gs that increased in the dry season along with increasing variation in ΨL. Our finding that canopy height structures the coordination between drought-related environmental stressors and hydraulic traits provides a basis for preserving the applicability of the isohydric-to-anisohydric spectrum, which we show here may consistently emerge from environmental context. Our work highlights the importance of understanding how environmental heterogeneity structures forest responses to climate change, providing a mechanistic basis for improving models of tropical ecosystems.

Forestry↗
DOE OSTI2025

The environmental impact, carbon emissions and sustainability of computing in the ATLAS experiment

ATLAS, a general-purpose experiment at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), makes use of a large internationally-distributed computing infrastructure, including over 10 6 TB of managed data on disk and tape and almost one million simultaneously running CPU cores. Upgrades for the High-Luminosity LHC (HL-LHC) will increase the required computing resources by a factor of 3–4 by the beginning of the 2030s, and by an order of magnitude before the conclusion of data taking at the beginning of the 2040s. These resources are spread over around 100 computing sites worldwide. Efforts are underway within the experiment to evaluate and mitigate various aspects of the environmental impact of the sites, with the additional long-term goal of making recommendations to the sites that will significantly reduce the total expected environmental impact in the HL-LHC era. These efforts take several forms: building awareness in the experiment community, adjusting aspects of the computing policy, and modifications of data center configurations, either in ways that take advantage of particular features of ATLAS workloads or in generic ways that reduce the environmental impact of the computing resources. This paper describes the ongoing investigations and approaches that have already provided useful and actionable outcomes.

Aad, G. [CNRS/IN2P3] (ORCID:0000000266654934)↗
DOE OSTI2024

Plastics Environmental Risk Calculator

SF-24-074 The Plastics Environmental Risk Calculator (PERC) was developed in Microsoft Excel and estimates the environmental distribution and lifetime of new biobased and conventional plastics from commonly measured properties of the plastics. A Random Forest regression model embedded in the calculator calculates plastic degradation rates and lifetimes as a proxy for environmental risk. Model default assumptions may be overwritten by the user.

Beckman, Kevin [Argonne National Laboratory (ANL),↗
DOE OSTI2026

The UCAR Africa Initiative: Recent insights, challenges, and opportunities to foster collaborative research for environmental sustainability

Africa is increasingly being exposed to the negative impacts of climate and environmental change, while having less capacity to respond compared to other continents. The vulnerability partially results from unprecedented demographic growth, urbanization, and industrialization. However, the continent has still largely been underserved by the broader Earth System Science (ESS) community, as evidenced by the limited amount of ESS data and research that cover Africa compared to other areas of the world. Here we present the recent University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR) Africa Initiative that aims to enhance environmental sustainability in Africa by fostering international collaborative research partnerships co-led by African scientists. Specifically, we outline urgent challenges and opportunities identified through an international workshop in six areas of ESS namely (1) air quality and health, (2) weather, (3) climate, (4) land and water, (5) social science perspectives, and (6) developing equitable collaboration and sustainable infrastructure. We highlight examples of successful partnerships and conclude with recommendations to advance collaborative, actionable ESS research that addresses Africa’s critical environmental challenges.

African weather and land variability↗
DOE OSTI2026

AmeriFlux FLUXNET-1F US-OPE Optimizing Production Inputs for Economic and Environmental Enhancement (OPE3)

This is the AmeriFlux Management Project (AMP) created FLUXNET-1F version of the carbon flux data for the site US-OPE Optimizing Production Inputs for Economic and Environmental Enhancement (OPE3). This is the FLUXNET version of the carbon flux data for the site US-OPE Optimizing Production Inputs for Economic and Environmental Enhancement (OPE3) produced by applying the standard ONEFlux (1F) software. Site Description - The Optimizing Production Inputs for Economic and Environmental Enhancement (OPE3) site is located at the Beltsville Agricultural Research Center in Prince George's County, MD, and consists of a 22-ha production field, with an adjacent riparian wetland and first-order stream. Scientists from several U.S. Federal agencies, universities (foreign and domestic), and private industry have conducted multidisciplinary research at this location since 1998.

Alfieri, Joe [USDA-ARS Hydrology and Remote Sensin↗
DOE OSTI2024

Mitigation of Safety and Environmental Challenges Posed by Low and Ultra-low GWP Refrigerants

The abatement of safety and environmental burden associated with low and ultra-low Global Warming Potential (GWP) refrigerants is a critical undertaking. As the industry shifts towards more environmentally friendly alternatives, mitigating the potential risks and ensuring safety standards becomes paramount. The adoption of low GWP and ultra-low GWP refrigerants contributes significantly to minimizing the greenhouse gas impact on the environment, aligning with global climate and sustainability goals. However, it is essential to address safety concerns and potential environmental implications associated with the end use of these refrigerants.A method to mitigate the safety risk in a flammable refrigerant based HVACR system is the primary focus of this paper. Advent of A2L and A3 refrigerants as replacements to high GWP refrigerants requires careful handling of leak episodes to lower or eliminate the risk associated with creating flammable mixtures capable of fire/explosion hazard. Solid materials tailored to target the molecule of interest (i.e., refrigerant.) by engineering the microporous structure as well as chemically functionalizing the surface to attract and hold on to the chemical compound being removed from the gas stream was realized. Additionally, a chromatic transformation technique is investigated for rapid on-site analysis of refrigerant blends. Preliminary results demonstrating the feasibility of both of these methods for successful deployment of low-GWP refrigerants are presented.

Cheekatamarla, Praveen↗
DOE OSTI2025

Environmental Evaluation of Gas Switching Reforming for Low Carbon Hydrogen: A Power-to-X Study

Gas Switching Reforming for hydrogen production (GSR-H2) offers a promising pathway for producing low-carbon hydrogen at scale, with significant implications for Power-to-X (PtX) systems that rely on clean hydrogen as a feedstock for synthetic fuels and chemicals. GSR-H2 integrates inherent carbon capture and thermal self-sufficiency, positioning it as an efficient alternative to conventional steam methane reforming (SMR), proton exchange membrane (PEM) electrolysis, and chemical looping reforming (CLR). Unlike SMR, GSR-H2 avoids external natural gas combustion by leveraging exothermic redox cycles to generate process steam and recover electricity internally. Its innovative reactor design consolidates all reforming stages within a single reactor cluster, eliminating the need for solid circulation found in CLR, thereby reducing capital costs and improving system reliability and scalability. This presentation describes the first environmental life cycle assessment (LCA) of GSR-H2, evaluating its environmental performance across U.S. grid and renewable energy scenarios. In a renewables-powered configuration, GSR-H2 achieves a global warming potential (GWP) of 2.77 kg CO2 equivalent per kg H2, substantially lower than SMR (10.4 kg) and competitive with PEM electrolysis (1.85 kg) and CLR (1.84 kg). Results across additional impact categories, including air quality and water use, support GSR-H2’s role as a complementary hydrogen source in PtX applications. Its reduced environmental burden, thermal integration, and simplified scale-up potential make GSR-H2 a viable contributor to net-zero PtX systems, particularly where renewable energy is abundant and electricity-intensive hydrogen production faces economic or infrastructure constraints.

03 NATURAL GAS↗
DOE OSTI2025

US Hydropower & Environmental Mitigations: A 1998-2023 inventory of mitigation measures inside licensing documents

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) license documents mandate environmental mitigation requirements to reduce potential environmental damage caused by non-federal hydropower facilities. This StoryMap showcases a dataset that leveraged Natural Language Processing (NLP) to inventory environmental mitigations from 465 FERC licenses that were issued from 1998-2023 (Ruggles et al, 2025). Users can explore trends in mitigation requirements over time and space with interactive maps and are presented with a demonstration use case.

Ruggles, Thomas A. [Oak Ridge National Laboratory ↗
DOE OSTI2026

Unlocking the Future of Aircraft Manufacturing: The Environmental Benefits of Laser Patterning for Surface Enhancement of Aircraft-Certified Alloys

Surface protection and functional modification of aircraft-certified aluminum alloys are essential for corrosion resistance, durability, and long-term airworthiness. At the same time, increasingly restrictive environmental regulations motivate the development of alternatives to legacy wet-chemical surface treatments. This study presents an integrated assessment of ultrafast femtosecond laser surface texturing as a surface functionalization approach for Aluminum 6061 alloys within an aerospace manufacturing and sustainability context. Ultrashort-pulse laser processing enables controlled micro- and nano-scale surface topographical modification with limited thermal impact, allowing adjustment of wettability and surface functionality while preserving bulk material integrity. As a dry and contactless process, femtosecond laser treatment eliminates the use of hazardous chemicals, reduces consumable inputs, and generates minimal secondary waste. A streamlined cradle-to-gate life cycle assessment conducted in accordance with ISO 14040/14044 indicates a lower global-warming potential per functional unit compared with conventional surface treatments, including anodization, plasma-assisted coatings, and organic coating systems. Complementary qualitative analyses addressing environmental health and safety, supply-chain risk, and ESG alignment indicate potential advantages related to occupational safety, regulatory compliance, waste management, and end-of-life recyclability. The investigation is performed on planar Aluminum 6061 reference surfaces with a treated area of 25 mm 2 , providing a controlled laboratory-scale basis for analyzing process behavior, functional surface modification, and associated environmental metrics. Within this defined scope, the results support further evaluation of femtosecond laser surface texturing as a surface engineering option for future aerospace manufacturing.

corrosion resistance↗
DOE OSTI2024

North America’s Potential for an Environmentally Sustainable Nickel, Manganese, and Cobalt Battery Value Chain

The Detroit Big Three General Motors (GMs), Ford, and Stellantis predict that electric vehicle (EV) sales will comprise 40–50% of the annual vehicle sales by 2030. Among the key components of LIBs, the LiNixMnyCo1−x−yO2 cathode, which comprises nickel, manganese, and cobalt (NMC) in various stoichiometric ratios, is widely used in EV batteries. This review reveals NMC cathodes from laboratory research. Furthermore, this study examines the environmental effect of NMC cathode production for EV batteries (including coating technologies), encompassing aspects such as energy consumption, water usage, and air emissions. Although gaps persist in NMC cathode environmental assessments (NMC111, NMC532, NMC622, and NMC811), limited life cycle assessments “(LCA)” have been conducted. Most available data originate from Asia (primarily China), accounting for 85% of the production of EV LIB cathode materials. The concept of battery passports for data collection on LIB components has been proposed to facilitate material traceability as a system for ensuring a sustainable supply chain for critical minerals. The automotive industry’s shift to electrification necessitates a sustainable supply chain from mine to vehicle end-of-life. As the critical mineral supply moves from Asia to North America, environmentally friendly industrial methods must be studied to provide this supply chain direction.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
DOE OSTI2025

Bio-Based Polyurethane Materials: Technical, Environmental, and Economic Insights

Polyurethane (PU) is widely used due to its attractive properties, but the shift to a low-carbon economy necessitates alternative, renewable feedstocks for its production. This review examines the synthesis, properties, and sustainability of bio-based PU materials, focusing on renewable resources such as lignin, vegetable oils, and polysaccharides. It discusses recent advances in bio-based polyols, their incorporation into PU formulations, and the use of bio-fillers like chitin and nanocellulose to improve mechanical, thermal, and biocompatibility properties. Despite promising material performance, challenges related to large-scale production, economic feasibility, and recycling technologies are highlighted. The paper also reviews life cycle assessment (LCA) studies, revealing the complex and context-dependent environmental benefits of bio-based PU materials. These studies indicate that while bio-based PU materials generally reduce greenhouse gas emissions and non-renewable energy use, their environmental performance varies depending on feedstock and formulation. The paper identifies key areas for future research, including improving biorefinery processes, optimizing crosslinker performance, and advancing recycling methods to unlock the full environmental and economic potential of bio-based PU in commercial applications.

Jayalath, Piumi↗
DOE OSTI2025

Environmental Factors Associated With Fall Phytoplankton Blooms in the Northern Bering and Chukchi Seas

This study investigates environmental drivers of fall phytoplankton blooms in the Arctic, focusing on the northern Bering and Chukchi seas. Random Forests models were used to analyze covariates of fall phytoplankton blooms from 2013 to 2018, incorporating shipboard, remote sensing, and modeled environmental properties. Four regional models and one comprehensive all-station model considered fall as well as midsummer conditions. Midsummer properties included suspended particulate matter, chlorophyll-a, and the proportion of degraded pheophytin to chlorophyll-a used as a proxy for bloom stage. Open water duration was one of the highest ranked factors in predicting fall blooms. Open water duration also influences the stage of midsummer (July) blooms as indicated by pheophytin proportions, which in turn were the highest-ranked factor for predicting fall bloom events in the Chirikov Basin (northern Bering Sea between St. Lawrence Island and the Bering Strait) and the Chukchi Sea. Wind direction, specifically easterly winds, was an important predictor in the northern Bering Sea. Maximum wind speed ranked highly at stations located within the nutrient-poor Alaska Coastal Current in the Chukchi Sea. However, stormy days, average and maximum wind speeds generally ranked low in importance as a predictor of fall bloom events. Other parameters, including photosynthetic active radiation, modeled nutrient concentrations, mixed layer depth, and time since sea ice breakup date showed strong but regionally varying relationships with fall blooms. Altogether, results from these Random Forests models suggest that high wind events and storms in the absence of sea ice provide an incomplete narrative for initiating fall bloom events.

Gaffey, C. B. [Clark University, Worcester, MA (Un↗