Terrestrial & Subsurface Ecosystems

The Terrestrial and Subsurface Ecosystems science theme focuses on the dynamics of nutrients, metabolites, and contaminants at biogeochemical interfaces in heterogeneous environments across multiple scales. By providing a mechanistic understanding of biogeochemical and microbial processes in soils and the subsurface, and linking those processes via pore-scale hydrological models, EMSL can improve strategies for sustainable solutions to contaminant attenuation, remediation and biogeochemical cycling.

EMSL has expanded its focus to include research in the terrestrial ecosystem by creating advanced spectrometric and spectroscopic capabilities to characterize organic matter in soil and groundwater; developing in situ tomographic imaging capabilities for the study of intact root and nutrient allocation; and expanding its pore- to intermediate-scale capabilities in unsaturated porous media.

EMSL is expanding its focus to include research in the terrestrial ecosystem by creating advanced capabilities to determine the chemical form of natural organic matter in soil and groundwater; developing a mechanistic understanding of the carbon cycle in the terrestrial ecosystem; and improving the linkage of fundamental studies of molecular geochemistry/biogeochemistry to field-scale modeling and predictive studies.

Within this science theme, EMSL will employ our research and that of our users for:

• Hydrobiogeochemical elemental cycling: Develop a molecular-to pore-scale mechanistic understanding of the coupled biogeochemical controls, reactions and elemental cycling to advance a predictive understanding of the feedbacks between the water cycle and ecosystem biogeochemistry and inform biogeochemistry components of earth system models.