SEES | Synchrotron Earth and Environmental Science

NSLS II XFM Beamline

Laboratory experiments with an Mn-rich paddy soil explore the impacts of Mn on biogeochemical processes controlling As solubility as shown through µXRF mapping.

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APS 13-IDE GSECARS, Microprobe

13 IDE x-ray microprobe experiment table for microfocused XRF, XAFS, and XRD analysis.

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APS, Scanning Electron Microscope Image GSECARS, SEM

Scanning electron photomicrograph of fragments of CR2 chondrite LAP 02342. From Lanzirotti et al. 2024.

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NSLS-II FIS beamline

Synchrotron infrared data shows that the Earth’s mantle can store water 400 to 650 km below the Earth’s surface.

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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).

2025 SEES-ISRD Joint Meeting

SEES and ISRD invite you to attend our annual meeting to be held jointly at the University of Chicago on August 11-13, 2025. Keynote speakers will discuss topics in rock and mineral deformation and rheological properties in Earth, and there will be a poster session with a broad scientific focus. All SEES and ISRD researchers are welcome and encouraged to attend. Click here to learn more.

Recent Publications

Oxybarometry of Reduced Silicate Glasses: Using Multivariate Methods to Constrain Cr Oxidation States with Application to Lunar Glasses

Mar 6, 2025

Molly C. McCanta, M. Darby Dyar, Stephen R. Sutton, Sarah E. Roberts, Cai R. Ytsma; Oxybarometry of Reduced Silicate Glasses: Using Multivariate Methods to Constrain Cr Oxidation States with Application to Lunar Glasses. American Mineralogist 2025; doi: https://doi.org/10.2138/am-2024-9602

The fate of nitrogen in deep magma oceans

Mar 5, 2025

Mallick, Ekanshu, Kelsey Prissel, Kevin Righter, and Colin RM Jackson. “The fate of nitrogen in deep magma oceans.” Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta 394 (2025): 298-318.

Phase transformation of ferric-iron-rich silicate in Earth’s mid-mantle

Mar 1, 2025

Lv, Mingda, Shengcai Zhu, Jiachao Liu, Yi Hu, Feng Zhu, Xiaojing Lai, Dongzhou Zhang et al. “Phase transformation of ferric-iron-rich silicate in Earth’s mid-mantle.” American Mineralogist 110, no. 3 (2025): 414-421.

Continuous Evolution of Eu2+/Eu3+ Mixed Valency Driven by Pressure and Temperature

Feb 25, 2025

Mingyu Xu, Greeshma C. Jose, Mouyang Cheng, Cheng Peng, Jose L. Gonzalez Jimenez, Wenli Bi, Mingda Li, and Weiwei Xie, Continuous Evolution of Eu2+/Eu3+ Mixed Valency Driven by Pressure and Temperature, The Journal of Physical Chemistry A 2025 129 (9), 2371-2377. DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpca.4c08660

Complex Adsorption Behavior of Neodymium and Ytterbium on Structurally-Distinct Alumina Surfaces

Feb 19, 2025

Fang, Yihang, Sang Soo Lee, Greg J. Ledingham, Joanne E. Stubbs, Peter J. Eng, and Jeffrey G. Catalano. “Complex Adsorption Behavior of Neodymium and Ytterbium on Structurally-Distinct Alumina Surfaces.” Environmental Science & Technology (2025).