NSF Workshop: Expanding the role of Reactive Transport Modeling (RTM) within the Biogeochemical Sciences; Washington, DC

Pennsylvania State Univ University Park, University Park PA

Investigators

Abstract

This request is to support a workshop that aims to assess the current status of Reactive Transport Modeling (RTM) usage within the Geochemical and Biogeochemical communities, to identify barriers, and to ultimately enhance communication between the modeling and experimental and field researcher communities. Proponents will invite 20 ? 25 researchers, include leading reactive transport code developers/users and leading geochemists and biogeochemists who are interested in including RTM in their research toolbox, to participate in a 2-day workshop in Washington, DC. The complexity and capacity of (bio)geochemical and hydrologic data collection have increased substantially over the past decade, while the accessibility of interpretive tools has not. As a consequence, there is a host of key questions regarding the fundamental coupling of biological, geochemical and hydrological process that can be uniquely addressed through the application of RTM approaches. The overall goal of this workshop is therefore to identify pathways that would facilitate the expansion of RTM approaches and concurrently build a strong community of users and developers. By addressing the systemic challenges in education and identifying key technical gaps, the broader impact of the workshop is a clear roadmap to ensure the widespread expansion of powerful modeling approaches that can capitalize on the era of expansive data to address new hypotheses in (bio)geochemical sciences.