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
The Viscosity of Albitic Melt at High Pressures andImplications for the Mobility of Crust‐Forming Magmas
Ashley, A. W., Mookherjee, M., Xu, M., Yu, T., Manthilake, G., & Wang, Y. (2025). The viscosity of albitic melt at high pressures and implications for the mobility of crust-forming magmas. Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth, 130, e2024JB030527.
Structure of ice VII with Hirshfeld atom refinement
Gajda, R., Chodkiewicz, M., Zhang, D., Nguyen, P., Prakapenka, V. & Wozniak, K., Structure of ice VII with Hirshfeld atom refinement, (2025). IUCrJ, 12. https://doi.org/10.1107/S2052252525002581
High-pressure structural behavior of silicon telluride Si2Te3 nanoplates
Li et al, High-pressure structural behavior of silicon telluride Si2Te3 nanoplates, 2025, Phys. Rev. B 111, 144110...
Influence of Pore Water on the Fracture of Silica Sand at Particle Scale
Safi, Mohammad, Khalid A. Alshibli, and Haochen Li. “Influence of Pore Water on the Fracture of Silica Sand at Particle Scale.” Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering 151, no. 7 (2025): 04025055.
In Situ Diffraction and Ex Situ Transmission X-Ray Microscopy Studies of Solid-State Upcycling for NMC Cathodes
Nisbet, Matthew L., Diana Luong, Eva Allen, Sohyun Park, Tiffany L. Kinnibrugh, Joanne E. Stubbs, Peter J. Eng, John T. Vaughey, and Tim T. Fister. “In Situ Diffraction and Ex Situ Transmission X‐Ray Microscopy Studies of Solid‐State Upcycling for NMC Cathodes.” Advanced Energy Materials (2025): 2500698.
Belowground plant carbon and nitrogen exchange: plant-derived carbon inputs and pore structure formation
Jin Ho Lee, Tayler C. Ulbrich, Maxwell Oerther, Yakov Kuzyakov, Andrey K. Guber, Alexandra N. Kravchenko, Belowground plant carbon and nitrogen exchange: plant-derived carbon inputs and pore structure formation, Soil Biology and Biochemistry, Volume 207, 2025, 109833, ISSN 0038-0717, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.soilbio.2025.109833.
Science Highlights
Phase transition kinetics of superionic H2O ice phases revealed by Megahertz X-ray free-electron laser-heating experiments
Husband, R.J., Liermann, H.P., McHardy, J.D. et al. Phase transition kinetics of superionic H2O ice phases revealed by Megahertz X-ray free-electron laser-heating experiments. Nat Commun 15, 8256 (2024).
Structure and transport properties of FeS at planetary core conditions
E. Edmund, T. Bi, Z.M. Geballe, K. Brugman, J.-F. Lin, S. Chariton, V.B. Prakapenka, J. Minár, R.E. Cohen, A.F. Goncharov, Structure and transport properties of FeS at planetary core conditions, Earth and Planetary Science Letters, Volume 646, 2024, 118959, ISSN 0012-821X
Compressional and shear wave velocities of Fe-bearing silicate post-perovskite in Earth’s lowermost mantle
Jing Yang, Suyu Fu, Jin Liu, Jung-Fu Lin, Compressional and shear wave velocities of Fe-bearing silicate post-perovskite in Earth’s lowermost mantle, Geoscience Frontiers, 2024, 101915, ISSN 1674-9871
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.
Uranium oxidation states in zircon and other accessory phases
Shane K. Houchin, François L.H. Tissot, Mauricio Ibañez-Mejia, Matthew Newville, Antonio Lanzirotti, Frank Pavia, George Rossman, Uranium oxidation states in zircon and other accessory phases, Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, 2024, ISSN 0016-7037
Latest Happenings
SEES Booth at GSA Conference
SEES had an exhibition booth at the GSA conference in Anaheim this year. Joanne Stubbs (Beamline...
South Side Science Festival 2024
GSE scientists Tim Officer and Stella Chariton get ready for the South Side Science Festival, Oct 5th
Research at GSE after APS-U featured in ANL Highlight
A new era of research comes into focus as the Advanced Photon Source Upgrade nears completion, GSE scientists anticipate the experimental possibilities.
Mark Rivers at the APS All-Hands Meeting
GSE scientist Mark Rivers presented Beamline Commissioning at Sector 13 at the APS All-Hands Meeting.