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Projects

Fukushima: JAEA-LBNL Collaboration on Repository Geoscience and Technology Development

In the aftermath of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident in Japan in 2011, LBNL-EESA and the Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA) have collaborated to develop numerical methodologies for understanding and predicting the long-term transport of radionuclides within and among different surface-environmental compartments (farmland and forest soils, water bodies, soil pore water and groundwater systems) in Japan. This research, initiated in June 2014, also contributes to the R&D activities related to environmental remediation and decommissioning after the accident.

Funded by DOE-SC-Biological and Environmental Research

Geophysical detection and monitoring of fluids, faults and coupled processes in the earth’s crust

The overall goal of this research is to understand in a quantitative way the coupling between flow and deformation and damage so that measurements of the deformation and damage along with changes in geophysical rock properties may be used to determine where the fluid is flowing and what processes the flow is provoking.

Funded by DOE-SC-Basic Energy Sciences

Ground-Motion Analysis and Soil-Structure-Interaction (SSI) Modeling

LBNL-ESD researchers are currently supporting the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's need for further technical information about a set of related technical topics. The main objective of the project is to develop the technical basis for new NRC staff guidance to applicants and licensees on critical issues related to the seismic analysis and design of new nuclear power plants (NPPs), in the broad area of time-domain soil-structure-interaction (SSI) modeling.

Robert J. Budnitz portrait. Cr. Roy Kaltschmidt, Berkeley Lab. Photos.lbl.gov, XBD201408-01063-02.tiff

High-Resolution Imaging of Geothermal Flow Paths Using a Cost-Effective Dense Seismic Network (CEC-EPIC)

Objective: Develop an advanced, low-cost, automated tomographic imaging system that uses micro-earthquakes and a dense network of portable, low-cost seismic sensors to form high spatial and temporal resolution images of subsurface fluid flow, including flow conduits, barriers and heterogeneity in producing geothermal fields...

Funded by California Energy Commission (CEC)

HydroEcological Engineering Advanced Decision Support (HEADS)

The scientific mission of the HydroEcological Engineering Advanced Decision Support (HEADS) research group within the Earth Sciences Division at Berkeley National Laboratory is to develop techniques, technologies and computer-based decision support systems to enhance environmental monitoring, modeling and management.

IDEAS: Computational Challenges in Building Virtual Terrestrial Ecosystems

EESA’s Genomes-to-Watershed and NGEE-Arctic projects seek to take advantage of new scientific software capabilities by incorporating a recently initiated DOE-Advanced Scientific Computing Research (ASCR)–BER-funded project, entitled Interoperable Design of Extreme-Scale Application Software (IDEAS). This project pursues the development and demonstration of new approaches for producing, using, and supporting scientific software. It will establish methodologies and tools that facilitate delivery of software as reusable, interoperable components.

Funded by DOE-SC-Biological and Environmental Research

Integrated Isotopic Studies of Geochemistry

We seek to understand geochemical processes using isotopic ratio and trace element concentration measurements. The research involves measurements of natural Earth systems and materials (rocks, soils, sediments, minerals, pore fluids, etc.) and products from laboratory experiments. The primary objectives are to (1) use isotopic effects to probe molecular- to micro-scale processes that control mineral precipitation…

Funded by DOE-SC-Basic Energy Sciences

International Disposal R&D

Nuclear power is used by many countries that have employed various strategies for the safe and effective use of nuclear energy and disposal of nuclear waste. International Projects focuses on integration and dissemination of scientific understanding and technological advances associated with nuclear energy and nuclear waste disposal throughout the world.

Land-Atmosphere Interactions and Surface Radiative Forcing (ASR)

This project advances understanding and prediction of land-atmosphere interactions and greenhouse gas radiative forcing at Earth’s surface. We use observations to model the processes linking Earth's carbon, water, and energy cycles—from soil moisture and vegetation to clouds, radiation, and precipitation. We also observe the direct radiative effects of CO2 and CH4 on climate, using ARM spectroscopic measurements. Our research is yielding new insights into processes governing the water cycle over land, and is enabling rigorous testing of radiative transfer in climate models.

Margaret Torn
Sebastien Biraud - portrait
Funded by DOE-SC-Biological and Environmental Research