The mission of SEES (Synchrotron Earth and Environmental Science) is to advance research and education in synchrotron-based Earth and environmental science to better understand our planet from the atmosphere to the core, to address societally relevant problems, and to train the next generation of scientists. SEES is responsible for the management, operation, and development of multiple user facilities hosted at four DOE-operated US synchrotrons: Advanced Photon Source (APS), Advanced Light Source (ALS), National Synchrotron Light Source II (NSLS-II), and Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource (SSRL).
Facility Status and Upcoming Proposal Deadlines
Workshops
2026 Soft and Tender X-ray Synchrotron Imaging and Spectroscopy Workshop
We are excited to announce the 2026 West Coast Soft and Tender X-ray Synchrotron Imaging and Spectroscopy Workshop for Earth and Environmental Sciences, which will be held at the Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource on November 17–19, 2026. Over three days, beamline scientists from the Advanced Light Source (ALS) and Stanford
Events Calendar
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Sun, Sep 20 - Sat, Sep 26
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Sun, Oct 11 - Wed, Oct 14
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Mon, Oct 12 - Fri, Oct 23
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Wed, Oct 21
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Tue, Nov 17 - Thu, Nov 19
Science Highlights
Widespread Occurrence of Magnéli Phases in Wildland–Urban Interface Fire Ashes
Baalousha, Mohammed, Morgane Desmau, Roberto A. Colina-Ruiz, Antonio Lanzirotti, Sheryl A. Singerling, Michelle A. Stern, and Charles N. Alpers. Environmental Science & Technology 60, no. 14 (2026): 10982-10990.
Serpentine’s wet breakdown path and enhanced water flux in cold subduction zones
Sim, Heehyeon, Yoonah Bang, Huijeong Hwang, Nico Giordano, Dongzhou Zhang, Hyun Hwi Lee, Taeyeol Jeon, Robert Farla, Hanns-Peter Liermann, and Yongjae Lee. Nature Communications (2026), DOI 10.1038/s41467-026-75935-4
Solidus and phase relations of Fe0. 8Ni0. 1Si0. 1 at Earth’s core conditions
Zhou, Cijin, Vasilije V. Dobrosavljevic, Dongzhou Zhang, Wolfgang Sturhahn, Jiyong Zhao, Thomas S. Toellner, Stella Chariton, Vitali B. Prakapenka, and Jennifer M. Jackson. Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth 131, no. 8 (2026): e2026JB034060.
Understanding the acoustic signatures of stressed fractured rock by simultaneous in situ synchrotron X-ray imaging and acoustic monitoring
Shokouhi, Parisa, Evan Bozek, Prabhav Borate, Asef I. Sadaf, Mark Rivers, and Jacques Riviere. The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America 159, no. 4_Supplement (2026): A37-A38. DOI https://doi.org/10.1121/10.0044996
Events & Outreach
The First SEES Multigrain Workshop: More Grains, More Fun
SEES ran its first Multigrain Single Crystal Workshop at the University of Chicago on August 8-9, 2026, in conjunction with the 2026 SEES-FORCE Joint Meeting. Twenty-eight participants spent two days with SEES beamline scientists Stella Chariton, Vitali Prakapenka, and Dongzhou Zhang, covering the collection and analysis of single- and multigrain
SEES at Goldschmidt 2026
The SEES team had a great time connecting with geochemists at the Goldschmidt conference in Montréal, Québec. Program PI Andrew Campbell and Associate Director Emily Padston staffed the exhibition booth, introducing attendees to the SEES program and how synchrotron user facilities can support their research. During our “Talk to a