12 Sep 2025

Quantifying Wild Pig Damage Reduction Using Before-After-Control-Impact Design at USACE Richard K. Yancey, Louisiana

Abstract: The FY23 research presented in this report is year three of a 3-year research plan to develop a user-friendly ecological-economic framework for rapid assessment of wild pig damage to wetlands. Building off research and findings from the FY21 and FY22 efforts conducted at Somerville Lake, Texas, the FY23 research focused on adapting the sampling frame-work to a forested wetland using a more advanced method for the extrapolation of damage to the whole study area, refining the economic valuation approach with machine-learning techniques, and improving the setup of the before-after-control-impact (BACI) study design estimating damage reduction after a targeted control effort. We estimate that the benefits provided by wetlands lost to wild pigs over a 1-year period in the Richard K. Yancey Wildlife Management Area study area was $234,486 (80% confidence interval, $63,155 to $691,220), and the aerial gunning control effort in the treatment plot provided a 243% return on investment in terms of damages avoided to wetlands.

12 Sep 2025

Literature Review and Environmental Concerns Regarding Lithium-Ion Batteries

Abstract: This study investigates the environmental and technical challenges associated with the production, use, and recycling of lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), which are critical components in consumer electronics and electric vehicles (EVs). As the demand for LIBs continues to grow, the concerns related to the mining and processing of key materials like lithium, cobalt, nickel, and manganese are also increasing. The extraction and refining processes for these metals are energy-intensive and produce significant environmental impacts, including greenhouse gas emissions, toxic waste, and resource depletion. The review emphasizes the need for improved recycling technologies and sustainable practices to mitigate the environmental footprint of LIBs and secure a more sustainable supply chain for the future of clean energy storage solutions. This study also analyzes LIB components to assess the presence of environmentally hazardous metals and compounds. Advanced analytical techniques like X-ray fluorescence (XRF), inductively coupled plasma–optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES), and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy revealed significant leaching of toxic elements and PFAS from battery parts, underscoring the environmental and health risks associated with improper disposal. The findings highlight the urgent need for improved recycling methods to mitigate these risks and enhance the sustainability of LIB use.

11 Sep 2025

Influence and Mechanisms of Mineral Chemistry and Sizing Effects on Cementitious and Pozzolanic Reactions

Abstract: This study investigated whether materials traditionally considered inert could become reactive with increased fineness. Researchers used multiple techniques to produce materials in a variety of fineness levels. The final products were then analyzed for pozzolanic reactivity in accordance with ASTM 1897 and for their influence on portland cement hydration in accordance with ASTM C1702. Results indicated that pozzolanic reactivity was not produced by successive grinding for either chemistry, at least within the limits of the techniques used. Both chemistries were shown to influence the rate of portland cement hydration when ground finer than cement. This phenomenon is known as the filler effect, and it became more significant with increased fineness.

11 Sep 2025

A Calibration Method for Projecting Future Extremes via a Linear Mapping of Parameters

Abstract: In order to study potential impacts arising from climate change, future projections of numerical model output often must be calibrated to be comparable to observations. Rather than calibrating the data values themselves, we propose a novel statistical calibration method for extremes that assumes there exists a linear relationship between parameters associated with model output and parameters associated with observations. This approach allows us to capture uncertainty in both parameter estimates and the linear calibration, which we achieve via bootstrap. To focus on extreme behavior, we assume both model output and observations have distributions composed of a mixture model combining a Weibull distribution with a generalized Pareto distribution for the tail. A simulation study shows good coverage rates. We apply the method to project future daily-averaged river runoff at the Purgatoire River in southeastern Colorado.

11 Sep 2025

Effect of Gypsum on Transport of IMX-104 Constituents in Overland Flow Under Simulated Rainfall

Abstract: Residue of energetic formulations, deposited on military training grounds following incomplete detonation, poses biotic hazards. This residue can be transported off-site, adsorb to soil clays and organic matter, transform or degrade, or taken up by plants and animals. Its harmful effects can be mitigated by localizing the energetics at the initial deposition using soil amendments and allowing them to bio- and photodegrade in situ. Small plots with coarse loamy soil were used to study the effect of gypsum on transport and redistribution under simulated rainfall of various sizes of insensitive munition explosive IMX-104 particles. The addition of gypsum more than doubled infiltration and decreased sediment loss by 16%. The post-rainfall mass balance of IMX-104 in the order from greater to smaller pools was: (1) soil surface retention, (2) off-site loss to overland flow, and (3) sub-surface infiltration. The application of gypsum decreased concentration and the total mass loss of dissolved DNAN, RDX, and HMX in surface runoff. In addition, gypsum significantly decreased or delayed the peak discharge of <2mm particulate energetics. Gypsum shifted the total mass balance of energetics toward subsurface flow. This study indicates gypsum may decrease off-site transport of energetic constituents in the soils subject to surface sealing.

10 Sep 2025

Snow Depth Measurements from Arctic Tundra and Boreal Forest Collected During NASA SnowEx Alaska Campaign

Abstract: Boreal forest and Arctic tundra environments collectively hold the largest percentage of global terrestrial seasonal snow cover. Тhe in-situ snow measurement network is sparse and costly in these remote northern regions. Here, we complement existing snow depth monitoring in Arctic tundra and boreal forest by presenting an extensive (64°N–70°N) snow depth dataset and description of ground-based snow depth measurements collected during the NASA SnowEx Alaska intensive field campaign, March 7–16, 2023. We also report the accuracy of snow depth measurements in shallow boreal forest and Arctic tundra snowpack and share considerations in developing the consistent and repeatable snow depth data collection procedures. Snow depth measurements and technical validation described in this paper can serve as a robust product for testing snow remote sensing techniques, and for providing a reference dataset for climatological and hydrological studies.

10 Sep 2025

Mapping the Vulnerability of Boreal Permafrost in Central Alaska in Relation to Thaw Rate, Ground Ice, and Thermokarst Development

Abstract: Permafrost roughly affects half the boreal region in Alaska and varies greatly in its thermophysical properties and genesis. In boreal ecosystems, permafrost formation and degradation respond to complex interactions among climate, topography, hydrology, soils, vegetation, and disturbance. We synthesized data on soil thermal conditions and permafrost characteristics to assess current permafrost conditions in central Alaska, and classified and mapped soil landscapes vulnerable to future thaw and thermokarst development. Permafrost soil properties at 160 sites ranged from rocky soils in hillslope colluvium and glacial till, to silty loess, to thick peats on abandoned floodplains and bogs, across 64 geomorphic units. To assess the vulnerability of permafrost to climate variability and disturbance, we differentiated permafrost responses in terms of rate of thaw, potential thaw settlement, and thermokarst development. Using a rule-based model that uses geomorphic units for spatial extrapolation at the landscape scale, we mapped 10 vulnerability classes across three areas ranging from high potential settlement/low thaw rate in extremely ice-rich loess to low potential settlement/high thaw rate in rocky hillslope colluvium. Vulnerability classes corresponded to thermokarst features developed in response to past climates. Differing patterns in permafrost vulnerability have large implications for ecosystem trajectories, land use, and infrastructure damage from thaw.

10 Sep 2025

Detachment and Transport of Composition B Detonation Particles in Rills

Abstract: The partial detonation of munitions used in military exercises leaves behind energetic particles on the surface of soil. Energetic particles deposited by incomplete detonations can then dissolve and be transported by overland flow and potentially contaminate ground and surface waters. The objective of this study was to evaluate the mechanisms of transport of Composition B, a formulation that includes TNT and RDX during overland flow. The transport of Composition B was examined using a rill flume with three flow rates and four energetic particle sizes. After each erosion simulation, energetic particles remaining on the soil surface were measured along with energetics dissolved in runoff, in suspended sediment, and in infiltration. Smaller particle sizes led to greater transport in both solution and sediment. The properties of the energetic compounds also influenced transport. More TNT was transported in runoff than RDX, likely due to TNT’s higher solubility and dissolution rates, however, overall, dissolved energetics in runoff and infiltration accounted for very little of the total transport. Most transport of Composition B was the result of the physical movement of energetic particles and flakes by erosion forces. This study’s results allow for improved prediction of Composition B transport during overland flow.

10 Sep 2025

Geology, Geomorphology, and River Engineering in the Memphis-to-Rosedale Reach, Lower Mississippi River

Abstract: This study examines the geology and geomorphology of the Mississippi River between Memphis, Tennessee, and Rosedale, Mississippi, with a focus on the Tertiary (65 to 2 million years) surface and how the present-day river has impacted this surface. Previous mapping efforts involving the Tertiary surface by the US Army Corps of Engineers are reviewed. Relevant maps are included as plates herein to facilitate wider dissemination. Today’s channel has deepened through time due to river engineering, which includes oxbow cutoffs and hardening of river banks with revetment and training dikes to prevent uncontrolled bank caving and channel migration. The course of the river was fixed in place by 1962. The thalweg of the river intersects the Tertiary surface at Helena, Arkansas, at the Hardin oxbow cutoff, and near the vicinity of Memphis, Tennessee. At these three locations, the Tertiary surface occurs at shallow elevations and in close proximity to where Tertiary sediments outcrop. A deeply buried alluvial valley is present in the Tertiary surface. Erosion of Jackson Group sediments in this valley exposes the underlying Claiborne Group sediments. Jackson and Sunflower oxbow cutoffs occur in the deepest parts of the alluvial fill.

10 Sep 2025

Light Availability Calculator for Identifying Suitable Habitat for Light-Limited Aquatic Vegetation

Purpose: The purpose of this Ecosystem Management and Restoration Research Program Technical Note (EMRRP TN) is to introduce a geospatial Light Availability Calculator, designed to inform suitable habitat selection for light-limited, submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) species. The need and intended use for the Light Availability Calculator is first described. Then, the scientific and mathematical formulations underpinning the calculator are explained. Finally, recommendations for calculator inputs reflective of various user needs (simple and rapid versus complex and time intensive) are described.