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
Events Calendar
Recent Publications
Brounce, M., Scoggins, S., Fischer, T. P., Ford, H., & Byrnes, J. (2024). Volatiles and redox along the East African Rift. Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems, 25, e2024GC011657.
Alexander F. Goncharov, Huiyao Kuang, John S. Tse, Eric Edmund, Maxim Bykov, Elena Bykova, Stella Chariton, Vitali B. Prakapenka, Timofey Fedotenko, Nico Giordano, Mohamed Mezouar, Jesse S. Smith, Hydrogenation of calcite and change in chemical bonding at high pressure: Diamond formation above 100 GPa, Physics of the Earth and Planetary Interiors,
Lv, M., Zhu, S., Liu, J., Hu, Y., Zhu, F., Lai, X., Zhang, D., Chen, B., Dera, P., Li, J. and Dorfman, S.M., 2024. Phase transformation of ferric-iron-rich silicate in Earth’s mid-mantle. American Mineralogist. DOI: 10.2138/am-2024-9410
Bang, Y., Hwang, H., Liermann, HP. et al. A role for subducting clays in the water transportation into the Earth’s lower mantle. Nat Commun 15, 4428 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-48501-z
Xu, M., Jing, Z., Van Orman, J. A., Yu, T., & Wang, Y. (2024). In situ determination of thermoelastic properties of magnesite at high pressure and temperature with implications to seismic detectability of moderately carbonated lithologies in the Earth’s mantle. Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth, 129, e2023JB028455.
Nicholas S. Manganaro, Scott D. Ambos, Matthew DeCapua, Scott D. Thiel, Wyatt E. Mitchell, Zhenxian Liu, Dongzhou Zhang, Phuong Q. H. Nguyen, Barbara Lavina, Esen Ercan Alp, Jun Yan, and James P. S. Walsh, High-Pressure Polymorphism in Silver Ferrite Delafossite, AgFeO, Inorganic Chemistry Article ASAP, DOI: 10.1021/acs.inorgchem.3c04631
Science Highlights
Equilibrium Fe isotope fractionation between olivine, pyroxene, spinel and MORB glass: Implications for mantle partial melting to generate MORBs
Nie, Nicole X., Anat Shahar, Peng Ni, Richard W. Carlson, Steven B. Shirey, Corliss K. Sio, Justin Y. Hu et al. “Equilibrium Fe isotope fractionation between olivine, pyroxene, spinel and MORB glass: Implications for mantle partial melting to generate MORBs.” Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta (2025).
Resiliency, morphology, and entropic transformations in high-entropy oxide nanoribbons
Hessam Shahbazi et al., Resiliency, morphology, and entropic transformations in high-entropy oxide nanoribbons. Science 388, 950-956 (2025). DOI: 10.1126/science.adr5604
Direct observations of transient weakening during phase transformations in quartz and olivine
Cross, A.J., Goddard, R.M., Kumamoto, K.M. et al. Direct observations of transient weakening during phase transformations in quartz and olivine. Nat. Geosci. 18, 548–554 (2025).
The origin of vertebrate teeth and evolution of sensory exoskeletons
Haridy, Y., Norris, S.C.P., Fabbri, M. et al. The origin of vertebrate teeth and evolution of sensory exoskeletons. Nature 642, 119–124 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-025-08944-w Link to Article | Link to UChicago News</please let >
Deformation of Hydrous Phases Egg [AlSiO3(OH)], δ [AlO(OH)] and Stishovite [Si1-nH4nO2] Relevant to Anisotropy of the Earth’s Mantle
Kattemalavadi, A., Devoe, M., & Wenk, H.-R. (2025). Deformation of hydrous phases Egg [AlSiO3(OH)], δ [AlO(OH)] and stishovite [Si1-nH4nO2] relevant to anisotropy of the Earth’s mantle. Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth, 130, e2025JB031362. https://doi.org/10.1029/2025JB031362
Volatiles and Redox Along the East African Rift
Brounce, M., Scoggins, S., Fischer, T. P., Ford, H., & Byrnes, J. (2024). Volatiles and redox along the East African Rift. Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems, 25, e2024GC011657.
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Earth & Environmental Science Applications of X-ray Spectromicroscopy for New Users
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