Biomass offsets little or none of permafrost carbon release from soils, streams, and wildfire: an expert assessment

As the permafrost region warms, its large organic carbon pool will be increasingly vulnerable to decomposition, combustion, and hydrologic export. Models predict that some portion of this release will be offset by increased production of Arctic and boreal biomass; however, the lack of robust estimates of net carbon balance increases the risk of further overshooting international emissions targets. Precise empirical or model-based assessments of the critical factors driving carbon balance are unlikely in the near future, so to address this gap, we present estimates from 98 permafrost-region experts of the response of biomass, wildfire, and hydrologic carbon flux to climate change. Results suggest that contrary to model projections, total permafrost-region biomass could decrease due to water stress and disturbance, factors that are not adequately incorporated in current models. Assessments indicate that end-of-the-century organic carbon release from Arctic rivers and collapsing coastlines could increase by 75% while carbon loss via burning could increase four-fold. Experts identified water balance, shifts in vegetation community, and permafrost degradation as the key sources of uncertainty in predicting future system response. In combination with previous findings, results suggest the permafrost region will become a carbon source to the atmosphere by 2100 regardless of warming scenario but that 65%–85% of permafrost carbon release can still be avoided if human emissions are actively reduced

Evaluation and combined geophysical interpretations of NURE and related geoscience data in the Van Horn, Pecos, Marfa, Fort Stockton, Presidido, and Emory Peak quadrangles, Texas. Volume 1. Final report

This report (two volumes) is the culmination of a two-year study of the six Trans-Pecos Texas quadrangles (Van Horn, Pecos, Marfa, Fort Stockton, Presidio, and Emory Park) surveyed as part of the National Uranium Resource Evaluation (NURE) program. Volume I contains a discussion of the aeromagnetic, gravity and geochemical data, their processing, and their analysis. The geologic history and setting of the Trans-Pecos are discussed along with the uranium potential of the region. Uranium anomalies and occurrences characteristic of numerous different NURE classes are present in the study area, and information is presented on 33 drill holes into these targets. Volume II is a folio of maps reduced to a scale of 1:500,000. Geologic maps for each of the six quadrangles are included and the geophysical maps have been prepared to be overlays for the goelogic maps. In addition to the geologic maps, residual aeromagnetic anomaly, complete Bouguer gravity anomaly, flight line index, gravity station index, and anomaly interpretative maps were prepared for each quadrangle. A large suite of digitally processed maps of gravity and aeromagnetic data were prepared and are included in Volume II

Virtual laboratories: Collaborative environments and facilities-on-line

The Department of Energy (DOE) has major research laboratories in a number of locations in the US, typically co-located with large research instruments or research facilities valued at tens of millions to even billions of dollars. Present budget exigencies facing the entire nation are felt very deeply at DOE, just as elsewhere. Advances over the last few years in networking and computing technologies make virtual collaborative environments and conduct of experiments over the internetwork structure a possibility. The authors believe that development of these collaborative environments and facilities-on-line could lead to a ``virtual laboratory`` with tremendous potential for decreasing the costs of research and increasing the productivity of their capital investment in research facilities. The majority of these cost savings would be due to increased productivity of their research efforts, better utilization of resources and facilities, and avoiding duplication of expensive facilities. A vision of how this might all fit together and a discussion of the infrastructure necessary to enable these developments is presented