BER Highlights

Forest trees establish symbiotic relationships with microbes depending on how the climate determines the rate of soil organic matter decomposition.

Ground water microbes living outside a contaminated area contain mobile genetic elements that provide them resistance to heavy metals.

Scientists use supercomputers to determine how reliably a popular Earth system model represents precipitation regionally and globally.

A first-of-its-kind computer simulation reveals self-healing cement for geothermal and oil and gas wells performs better than originally thought.

Even a single species of bacteria can positively affect soils and plants, improving and even enabling agriculture in semi-arid areas.

First-of-a-kind study advances understanding of microbial and viral communities involved in biomass breakdown.

Scientists reveal the importance of an amino acid that supplies energy and protection for microbial communities deep underground.

An atomic view of how toxic uranium binds to iron minerals in the environment enables better predictions of its behavior.

Adding glucose to a green microalga culture induces accumulation of fatty acids and other valuable bioproducts.

A pioneering study on how microbes work could advance models of frequently flooded soil’s elements and nutrients.

Scientists develop a molecular map of metabolic products of bacteria in root nodules to aid sustainable agriculture.

Technique enables efficient & precise estimates of trends in ozone & other atmospheric constituents within selected geographical regions & timeframes.

Global data set shows monthly water use by irrigation, manufacturing, and other uses, helping researchers to analyze water use by region and season.

Researchers link root water uptake to root traits and assess (poor) performance of common models.

Predictions of the direct impacts of greenhouse gases must account for local temperature and humidity conditions.

The team analyzed twelve disdrometer data sets (including four from the Department of Energy’s Atmospheric Radiation Measurement user

Research offers evidence that microbes and organic matter raise toxin levels, potentially helping improve mercury monitoring.

Researchers find gusty winds increase surface evaporation that drives summer rainstorms in the Tropical West Pacific.

Nutrients increasingly moving to the deep ocean with strong climate warming could lead to drastic drops in surface ocean life and fishery yields.

Soil moisture is key to determining plant growth and nutrient cycling in complex tundra landscapes.

Computer model offers detailed view of water cycling and complex Earth system dynamics.

The soils you find underfoot are typically 5 to 10 percent organic carbon. However, 3 feet and more below the surface, the organic carbon levels

Scientists investigate a threshold for rapid ice-sheet degradation in the West Antarctic Ice Sheet.

Molecular studies show phage-host interactions are more complicated than most laboratory studies suggest.

The researchers observed mutualistic interactions between heterotrophic bacteria and two species of biofuels-relevant microalgae,