Njengoba ezolimo sezithuthuke kakhulu, kusenesidingo esiphuthumayo sezindlela ezingonakali “zokubona” emhlabathini. UMnyango Wezamandla wase-US I-Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (i-ARPA-E) inikeze uLawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (i-Berkeley Lab) amaRandi ayizigidi ezingu-4.6 ngamaphrojekthi amabili okubhekana naleli gebe, enikeza abalimi ulwazi olubalulekile lokukhulisa izivuno zezitshalo kuyilapho futhi kukhuthazwa ukugcinwa kwekhabhoni enhlabathini.
Enye iphrojekthi ihlose ukusebenzisa amandla kagesi ukuze kufanekiswe uhlelo lwezimpande, oluzosheshisa ukuzalaniswa kwezitshalo ezinezimpande eziklanyelwe izimo ezithile (njengesomiso). Enye iphrojekthi izothuthukisa indlela entsha yokuthwebula esekelwe ekusakazeni kwe-neutron ukukala ukusatshalaliswa kwekhabhoni nezinye izakhi emhlabathini.
I-Berkeley Lab ithole le miklomelo yokuncintisana evela kwa-ARPA-E's Uhlelo lwe-Rhizosphere Observations Optimizing Terrestrial Sequestration (ROOTS)., efuna ukuthuthukisa izitshalo ezikhipha ikhabhoni emkhathini futhi ziwugcine enhlabathini - okwenza ukuthi kukhuphuke ngamaphesenti angu-50 ekujuleni kwe-carbon deposition kanye nokunqwabelana kuyilapho futhi kunciphisa ukukhishwa kwe-nitrous oxide ngamaphesenti angu-50 nokwandisa ukukhiqizwa kwamanzi ngamaphesenti angu-25.
Ukushoda kwekhabhoni yomhlabathi kuyisimo somhlaba wonke esibangelwa amashumi amaningi eminyaka ezolimo zezimboni. Umhlabathi unamandla okugcina inani elikhulu lekhabhoni, unciphisa ukugcwala kwe-carbon dioxide emkhathini ngenkathi futhi uthuthukisa ukuvunda komhlabathi nokugcina amanzi.
I-EEG yezitshalo
Ukuthuthukiswa kobuchwepheshe be-Tomographic Electrical Rhizosphere Imaging (TERI), eyaklonyeliswa ngezigidi ezingu-2.3 zamaRandi yi-ARPA-E, iholwa isazi sesayensi yezindawo ze-Berkeley Lab u-Yuxin Wu, ophinde abe ku-Climate & Ecosystem Sciences Division. "Ungacabanga ngakho njenge-imaging yobuchopho, noma i-EEG, lapho ama-electrode anamathiselwe ekhanda lakho angaqopha amaphethini amaza obuchopho," kusho uWu. "Ubuchwepheshe obusha buzofana ne-EEG yezitshalo."
Ngokuthumela umsinga kagesi omncane esiqwini, ozobe usuhamba kulo lonke uhlelo lwempande, i-TERI izobona ukusabela kukagesi kukho kokubili izimpande nomhlabathi futhi inikeze ulwazi ngesisindo sezimpande, indawo engaphezulu, ukujula, nokusabalalisa emhlabathini, kanye idatha yokuthungwa kwenhlabathi kanye nomswakama kanye nokuthi lezi ziguquguqukayo zishintsha kanjani ngokuhamba kwesikhathi.
Ngokuphambene, indlela evamile yokutadisha izici zezimpande, ezihamba nge-moniker "shovelomics," ayihlanganisi kakhulu ifosholo nebhakede lamanzi ngaphambi kokuhlaziywa kwezimpande kulebhu. "Kuyindlela esebenza kanzima futhi ephansi kakhulu yokuveza izimpande," kusho uWu. “Futhi uma usumbe impande, usuqedile. Awukwazi ukubheka izinguquko ngokuhamba kwesikhathi.”
U-Wu useqale ukuhlolwa kokuqala elebhu. Kamuva uzokwenza ukuhlolwa kwensimu nezitshalo zikakolweni ngokubambisana I-Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation. Isekelwe e-Ardmore, e-Oklahoma, i-Noble Foundation iyisikhungo esikhulu kunazo zonke esizimele socwaningo lwezolimo e-US esinamahektha angaphezu kuka-13,500 endawo yokulima esenza ucwaningo ukuze abalimi nabafuyi bakhulise umkhiqizo wesifunda kanye nokuphathwa komhlaba.
U-Wu nethimba lakhe basebenzisana ne-Subsurface Insights, ibhizinisi elincane eligxile ekuthuthukisweni kwesoftware yezinhlelo zokusebenza ze-geophysical.
Umgomo wephrojekthi ukuthuthukisa ubuchwepheshe besizukulwane esilandelayo se-root phenotyping ehlanganiswe ne-ecosystem modelling ukuze kusheshiswe ukuzalaniswa kwezinhlobo ezigxile ezimpandeni ezinezimpawu ezithile; isibonelo, ukumelana nesimo sezulu esingcono kanye nokubekezelela kangcono amanzi aphansi kanye nezimo eziphansi zikamanyolo. Ekugcineni, ithuluzi lingasiza ekwandiseni isivuno ngenkathi likhulisa okokufaka kwekhabhoni emhlabathini.
Kusukela kuma-neutron kuya emisebeni ye-gamma kuya ekutholweni kwekhabhoni
Kuphrojekthi yesibili, ephinde yaklonyeliswa ngo-$2.3 million, izazi zesayensi ye-Berkeley Lab eziholwa ngu-Arun Persaud we- I-Accelerator Technology & Applied Physics (ATAP) Division izokwakha ithuluzi lokuhlaziya i-chemistry yenhlabathi, ngaphandle kokuyiphazamisa, ngokusebenzisa ukuhlakazeka kwe-neutron enelastic. "Ijeneretha izothumela ama-neutron emhlabathini," kusho uPersaud. “I-neutron ngayinye ingasabelana nama-athomu enhlabathini futhi ikhiqize umsebe we-gamma, esingawubona ngaphezu komhlaba ngomtshina we-gamma. Khona-ke silinganisa amandla e-gamma, futhi kusukela lapho ungakwazi ukubona ukuthi hlobo luni lwe-athomu; carbon noma insimbi noma i-aluminium, isibonelo.
Ubuchwepheshe obufanayo njengamanje busetshenziswa ezinhlelweni zokuphepha zezwe lasekhaya, njengokuthola iziqhumane nezinye izinto ezimpahiwe, futhi kuyindawo yocwaningo lwesikhathi eside e-Berkeley Lab.
"Lobu buchwepheshe ngeke bukwazi ukukala kuphela ukuthi ingakanani ikhabhoni enhlabathini kodwa futhi yenze kanjalo ngokulungiswa kwendawo okungamasentimitha ambalwa," kusho u-Wim Leemans, umqondisi we-ATAP.
U-ersaud uthe ngokungafani nobuchwepheshe bamanje bokuhlaziya izakhiwo zenhlabathi, le nqubo ingasetshenziswa ensimini futhi ingakala izinguquko endaweni nesikhathi ngaphandle kokuphazamisa inhlabathi. Izindlela ezijwayelekile manje zihilela ukumba izinhlayiya zenhlabathi nokwenza ukuhlaziya amakhemikhali kuzo kubuyiselwe elebhu, okungakuvumeli ukuphinda ukukalwa kwenhlabathi efanayo futhi akusebenzi ezindaweni ezinkulu.
Kanye nesazi sefiziksi se-ATAP uBernhard Ludewigt, uPersaud uzosebenzisana ne-Adelphi Technology Inc. ukuthuthukisa ijeneretha ye-neutron. Uhlelo oluwumphumela lungagcina luthathe uhlobo lwensimbi ephathwayo ethatha izilinganiso ze-situ ensimini yomlimi.
- Julie Chao, Inyuvesi yaseCalifornia
Umthombo: Inyuvesi yaseCalifornia