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).
2026 SEES-FORCE Joint Meeting
SEES and FORCE invite you to attend our annual meeting to be held jointly at the University of Chicago on August 10-12, 2026.
Facility Status and Upcoming Proposal Deadlines
SEES User Group Committee Elections
Voting will close on Monday, August 10.
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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Wed, Aug 5
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Thu, Aug 6
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Sat, Aug 8 - Sun, Aug 9
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Mon, Aug 10 - Wed, Aug 12
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Wed, Sep 2
Science Highlights
Effect of Si on Mg Alloying in Metallic Iron at High Pressures
Wei, X., Kim, T., Chen, S., Tsuno, K., Kunz, M., Armstrong, K., et al. (2026). Effect of Si on Mg alloying in metallic iron at high pressures. Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth, 131, e2026JB034548.
Interplay of Surface Energy and Rheology in Biopolymer Soil Enhancement
Fang, Yiwei, Jinxuan Ding, Wanchuan Liu, Damien Crowley, Justin Antonette, Haoyan Fang, Aniket Raut et al. “Interplay of Surface Energy and Rheology in Biopolymer Soil Enhancement.” Polymer Testing (2025): 109018.
Arsenic-cycling metabolism recorded in hot spring silica deposits
Slagter, Silvina, Kimberly Myers, Diego M. Guido, Bhoopesh Mishra, Thaïs Couasnon, Gernot Arp, Stefan V. Lalonde, and Mark A. Van Zuilen. Communications Earth & Environment (2026).
Mitigating lead bioaccessibility in metal (loid) s contaminated alkaline soils using soil amendments: Evaluating efficacy using in vitro bioaccessibility, sequential extraction, and synchrotron techniques
Wekumbura, Chandima, Ganga M. Hettiarachchi, William Hargrove, Qing Ma, Matthew Newville, Antonio Lanzirotti, and Christina Sobin. Journal of Hazardous Materials 497 (2025): 139742.
Events & Outreach
AGU26 Abstract Submissions Open
Abstract submissions are now open for the 2026 AGU Annual Meeting, taking place December 7–11, 2026, in San Francisco, CA. The abstract submission deadline is August 5, 2026 (11:59 PM EDT / 03:59 UTC). AGU’s annual meeting, the largest gathering of Earth and space scientists, convenes 25,000+ attendees from 100+
Cross-Facility Collaboration on Soft and Tender X-ray Microscopy
Beamline scientists from SEES, the Advanced Light Source (ALS), and the National Synchrotron Light Source II (NSLS-II) connected during SEES general user beamtime at COSMIC. They discussed coordination opportunities for the upcoming ALS-U dark time and future capabilities of the Soft X-ray Nanoprobe at NSLS-II. Left to right: Dr. Kyounglim