**Research Activity: Geosciences Research**

Division: Chemical Sciences, Geosciences and Biosciences

Primary Contact: Nicholas B. Woodward
([Nick.Woodward@science.doe.gov](mailto:nick.woodward@science.doe.gov);
301-903-4061)

Team Leader: John C. Miller

Division Director: Walter Stevens

**Portfolio Description:**

Geochemistry research focuses on advanced investigations of
mineral-fluid interactions and developing new methods and techniques for
investigating them. It includes studies on rates and mechanisms of
reaction, coupled reactive fluid flow, surface geochemistry and
geochemical reactivity, and isotopic tracking of mineral-fluid
interactions. Improved imaging and tracking of geochemical processes at
the atomic (angstrom) to system (kilometer) scale is critical for
progress in understanding geochemical systems. Geophysics research
focuses on developing an improved understanding of rock, fluid, and
fracture physical properties and developing new methods and techniques
for investigating them. It includes studies on the surface determination
of geologic structures and rock property distributions at depth,
improved methods of collection, inversion, and analysis of seismic and
electromagnetic data, and identification of geophysical signatures of
natural and man-made heterogeneities such as fractures, and fluid flow
pathways. All of these studies are focused on improving our resolution
in understanding multi-phase heterogeneous natural systems,
distributions of chemical, mechanical and physical properties and
improved approaches to up-scaling of theoretical predictions and
experimental measurements to field-scale systems. The improved
resolution comes from improvements in scientific understanding of
processes, improved analytical and experimental tools, and improved
computational approaches to modeling and algorithm development.

**Unique Aspects:**

This activity has an agency-wide mandate to provide new knowledge as the
foundation for targeted applications in energy and environmental
quality. Earth science-related problems are recognized as key elements
in seven DOE applied activities (FE - Oil program; FE - Gas program;
FE - CO2 sequestration program; NN -- Seismology program; EM Science
program; RW -- Yucca Mountain program; and the EE -- Geothermal
program). Unique strengths of the program lie in its emphasis on
cutting-edge atomic-scale experimental, theoretical, and modeling
studies in both geochemistry and geophysics built on the capabilities of
DOE National Laboratory facilities and over a hundred university
research projects.

**Relationship to Others:**

The Geosciences Program provides 20% (\$20M) of the Nation's support for
individual investigator-driven fundamental research (NSF + DOE =\$100M)
in solid Earth sciences. The BES Geochemistry activities match the size
of the Individual Investigator programs in the NSF petrology and
geochemistry areas and the BES Geophysics activities match the size of
the Individual Investigator programs of the NSF geophysics and NSF
hydrology areas, but BES focuses on a narrower range of fundamental
issues critical to DOE's mission particularly in shallow Earth
situations.

**Significant Accomplishments:**

The GSECARS beamline has been built and commissioned (in collaboration
with NSF-EAR) as a center for high-resolution analytical geochemistry
for the whole Earth sciences community, including multiple DOE applied
program users. One of the program's research projects at APS was
selected by that institution as one of its top five studies done in
2000. Geosciences research projects and a Geosciences workshop on
Terrestrial Sequestration of CO~2~ were the foundations for the DOE
Carbon Sequestration Roadmap in the area of geological sequestration and
remain the basis for identifying research opportunities in this area for
the Office of Science and the Office of Fossil Energy. Geosciences
investigators have published major review volumes on Synchrotron Science
related to Geosciences, Molecular Modeling applied to Geosciences,
Nanophases in the shallow Earth environment and on Biomineralization.

**Importance/Mission Relevance:**

The activity contributes to the solution of Earth science-related
problems in multiple DOE mission areas by providing a foundation of
scientific understanding for applications such as (but not limited to):
the potential of seismic imaging for reservoir definition or explosion
detection, reactive fluid flow studies to understand contaminant
remediation, or geothermal energy production, and coupled
hydrologic-thermal-mechanical-reactive transport modeling to predict
repository performance. The applied activities all seek fundamental
research results as the foundations for their directed research and
development efforts, both from the national laboratories and from the
university community. In particular, the Geosciences activity provides
funding for long-term crosscutting research efforts at national
laboratories, which are directly and immediately transferred to the
applied programs when needed. The activity also supports the development
of research capabilities and communities within both national
laboratories and universities that provide manpower for applied
programs. An example is the Environmental Management Science Program in
OBER, which derives over 25% of its subsurface science investigators
from projects initially supported by BES Geosciences. The Geosciences
activity in BES provides the majority of individual investigator basic
research funding for the federal government in areas with the greatest
impact on unique DOE missions such as high-resolution Earth imaging and
low-temperature, low-pressure geochemical processes in the subsurface.

**Challenges:**

Understanding the natural heterogeneity of geochemical and geophysical
properties, processes, and rate laws is critical to managing improved
production of the Earth's energy resources and safe disposal of energy
related wastes. New investigations are needed at the smallest scales
studying electronic properties, geochemical reactivity, solute
properties, and isotopic distributions in both inorganic and organic
systems. Mineral-fluid-microbe systems are also new targets for
systematic examination. Understanding pristine natural systems and
DOE-specific sites requires improving our capabilities to make and
understand high-resolution geochemical and geophysical measurements
experimentally and in the field and to model them. Understanding
mineral-fluid interactions are key to predicting the fates of
contaminants in the environment or predicting nuclear waste-site
performance. Improved high-resolution geophysical imaging will underlie
new resource recovery, tracking of contaminants, and predicting and
tracking repository performance, whether for nuclear or energy-related
wastes such as CO~2~. Improved imaging and tracking of geochemical
processes at the atomic (angstrom) scale using synchrotron x-rays and
neutrons is critical for progress in understanding geochemical systems.
In addition, new research on high-pressure/high-temperature
mineralogical systems will create new opportunities to study and
manipulate fundamental mineral and mineral-fluid properties and
interactions. Upgrading national laboratory and university investigator
experimental, field instrumentation and computational capabilities with
new instrumentation and facilities is a continuing challenge. Even with
new improved analytical equipment, technical challenges will continue in
mastering data-fusion approaches to multiple-technique measurements,
such as combined x-ray and neutron analyses or combined
seismic-electromagnetic measurements. Computational capabilities driven
by the PC-cluster approach with new higher speed chips (1.8GHz and
greater) will enable optimization of clusters for individual molecular
dynamics, seismic, electromagnetic, geomechanical and hydrologic
modeling techniques and provide unique support to experimental analysis.

**Funding Summary:**

**Dollars in Thousands**

**[FY 2003]{.underline}** **[FY 2004]{.underline}** **[FY
2005]{.underline}** **[Request]{.underline}**

20,332 20,491 20,332

> **[Performer]{.underline} [Funding Percentage]{.underline}**
>
> DOE Laboratories 44 %
>
> Universities 56 %
>
> Other 0 %

These are percentages of the operating research expenditures in this
area; they do not contain laboratory capital equipment, infrastructure,
or other non-operating components.

**Projected Evolution:**

In the near term, geosciences research continues its basic activity in
fundamental geochemistry and geophysics, and research related to CO~2~
sequestration. It continues a multi-laboratory project led by Oak Ridge
on Chemical Interactions at the Metal Oxide Aqueous Solution Interface
in collaboration with the NSF funded NIRT university-based program.
Eight short courses have been held in the Geosciences Education
Initiative series. The activity continues working with various groups on
investigating uses of neutrons in Geosciences. The activity works with
NSF-Earth Sciences to develop a collaborative approach on fundamental
science projects to be conducted at the NSF Earthscope -- Plate Boundary
Observatory

In the mid-term, the activity initiates new research efforts [Imaging of
the Earth]{.underline} with attention devoted both to improved
small-scale imaging (geochemistry focus) using x-ray sources, neutron
sources and scanning microscopy, and large-scale imaging (geophysics
focus) of physical properties through understanding intrinsic
attenuation within seismic and electromagnetic imaging. University
facilities program discussions begin. New high-pressure/high-temperature
research activities begin to investigate how physical and chemical
properties in the Earth vary with depth and Earth dynamics. The GSECARS
at the APS reaches its full operational potential as a national user
facility for the Geosciences Community.

In the longer term (3-5 years), collaboration begins with
NSF-Earthscope, requiring both facilities support and increased funding
for critical scientific investigations. The [Neutrons for]{.underline}
[Geosciences]{.underline} begin enabling new approaches and new
discoveries in the geosciences. There is an increased usage of neutrons
within the geosciences -- which similarly requires both facility support
and funding for scientific investigations.