Study reveals soil moisture plays the biggest role in underground spread of natural gas leaking from pipelines

Peer-Reviewed Publication

SOUTHERN METHODIST UNIVERSITY

DALLAS (SMU) – Soil moisture content is the main factor that controls how far and at what concentration natural gas spreads from a leaked pipeline underground, a new study has found.

Pipeline operators need to factor how the amount of water found in surrounding soil affects gas movement when trying to determine the potential hazards posed by a pipeline leak, said SMU’s Kathleen M. Smits, who led the study recently published in the journal Elementa that examined soil properties from 77 locations around the country where a gas leakage had occurred. 

“We don’t need to look any further than Dallas or Georgetown, Texas to see where underground pipeline leaks have the potential to result in catastrophic outcomes,” said Smits, SMU Lyle School of Engineering Chair of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Solomon Professor for Global Development. “We often see that such incidents are the result of a lack of clear protocols to detect the leaks or assess damage. That’s why there should be more focus on the importance of environmental factors such as soil moisture and how to properly account for them in leak scenarios.” 

In general the team, co-led by Younki Cho, a research scientist at Colorado State University’s Energy Institute, found that methane gas leaking from a pipeline does not spread as far when the soil moisture content increases. That results in a higher concentration of methane gas close to the leak site in more moist soil, the study revealed.

The opposite was true with drier soil.

But Smits stressed that simply knowing how wet the ground is at the time of the leak is not enough to make conclusions about how soil moisture content impacts gas movement. The moistness of the soil – or lack thereof – at the time of leak triggers different complex behaviors in the soil when methane gas seeps into the same spaces as water and oxygen in the pores of the soil. Soil moisture content can also change over time because of weather and other factors such as seasonal water table levels. 

“You have to understand how the moisture controls both the movement and concentration together,” Smits said. “This is something we can assist [pipeline owners] with going forward in addressing leak incidents.”    

The research team looked at more than 300 soil samples from leak sites around the country. The samples – which were taken at the time of the leak and again after the leak was repaired – were weighed when they were wet. They were also weighed a second time after they had been dried out in an oven. 

“The difference in the dry and wet weights, linked with knowledge of the volume of the soil sample, allowed us to calculate the soil moisture,” Smits explained. 

Other soil qualities like its texture and permeability were also examined by the team, but did not demonstrate as much impact on how natural gas moved belowground.   

Other co-authors were Nathaniel L. Steadman, from the Department of Civil Engineering at the University of Texas at Arlington; Bridget A. Ulrich, from the Natural Resources Research Institute at the University of Minnesota Duluth; Clay S. Bell, from the CSU Energy Institute; and Daniel J. Zimmerle, Director and Principal Director of the Methane Emissions Technology Evaluation Center at CSU.   

Walking surveys better at finding pipeline leaks than mobile detection under certain circumstances

In another study aimed at improving gas leak detection, Smits and researchers from CSU’s Energy Institute found that there are instances where operating a mobile detection unit from the front or roof of a car were not as effective as walkers carrying a handheld detection instrument.  

In a mobile survey, the detection unit measures for elevated levels of methane gas in the air as the car is driving. A higher traveling speed or wind speed outside the car resulted in a lowered probability of leak detection when compared to a foot patrol. 

“For example, if you just isolated the speed of travel – comparing a person walking at 2 to 3 miles per hour versus a car driving at a slow speed of 20 to 30 mph – the probability of detecting a leak drops from 85 percent for a walking survey to 25 percent for a car,” Smits said. 

The study, published in the journal Environmental Pollution, showed that atmospheric stability also had an effect on mobile surveys.

Atmospheric stability essentially determines whether air will rise, sink, or do nothing. Warm, less dense air rises (unstable), while cooler, more dense air sinks (stable). Air staying at the same altitude is considered neutral. 

Researchers found that mobile surveys conducted at speeds between 2 to 11 miles per hour got progressively less effective (from 85 percent to 60 percent) at finding a leak as the atmospheric stability went from extremely unstable conditions to extremely stable. Walking surveys conducted under these same conditions did not reflect variability. 

“Walking surveys find the most leaks, by far, but they are labor intensive and cost a lot of money,” Smits noted. “This study shows that if operators want to use another method such as a mobile survey, they need to thoughtfully choose a suitable survey speed under different weather conditions to achieve a detection probability equivalent to the traditional walking survey.”  

The findings could apply to any type of buried pipeline, Smits said.

Cho, Bell, Cho and Zimmerle from CSU assisted with this study, as did Stuart N. Riddick, a research scientist from the Energy Institute. Shanru Tian, a Ph.D. student in the Department of Civil Engineering at the University of Texas at Arlington, was the lead author of this study. 

 

About SMU

SMU is the nationally ranked global research university in the dynamic city of Dallas.  SMU’s alumni, faculty and more than 12,000 students in eight degree-granting schools demonstrate an entrepreneurial spirit as they lead change in their professions, communities and the world.

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JOURNAL

Elementa Science of the Anthropocene

DOI

10.1525/elementa.2021.00095 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Observational study

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

Not applicable

ARTICLE TITLE

A closer look at underground natural gas pipeline leaks across the United States

WHY IS THIS NOT IN USE ON ALL PIPELINES 

SwRI improves corrosion-detecting technology that detects leaks in pipes before they occur

New generation of Magnetostrictive Transducer Collar is more accurate, flexible and efficient

Reports and Proceedings

SOUTHWEST RESEARCH INSTITUTE

 

IMAGE: SOUTHWEST RESEARCH INSTITUTE (SWRI) HAS CREATED THE NEXT GENERATION OF TRANSDUCERS THAT USE ULTRASONIC GUIDED WAVE TECHNOLOGY TO DETECT ANOMALIES IN PIPES, ENABLING USERS TO PREVENT LEAKS BEFORE THEY START. THE DEVICE, WHICH UTILIZES THE SWRI-DEVELOPED MAGNETOSTRICTIVE SENSOR (MSS®) TECHNOLOGY, WILL BE SHOWCASED AT THE AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR NONDESTRUCTIVE TESTING’S (ASNT) ANNUAL CONFERENCE IN NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE, FROM OCTOBER 31 TO NOVEMBER 3. view more 

CREDIT: SOUTHWEST RESEARCH INSTITUTE

SAN ANTONIO — Oct. 25, 2022 — Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) has created the next generation of transducers that use ultrasonic guided wave technology to detect anomalies in pipes, enabling users to prevent leaks before they start. The device, which utilizes the SwRI-developed Magnetostrictive Sensor® (MsS®) technology, will be showcased at the American Society for Nondestructive Testing’s (ASNT) Annual Conference in Nashville, Tennessee, from October 31 to November 3.

“Pipeline corrosion resulting in leaks is very common,” said SwRI Staff Engineer Sergey Vinogradov, who developed the technology with Staff Engineer Keith Bartels and other SwRI staff members. “There are only a few current methods to detect defects before they cause leaks. Quite often, the pipe is repaired and re-inspected after a leak occurs. We’ve developed a technology that can consistently monitor the pipe’s condition, hopefully preventing leaks from happening in the first place.”

The technology is known as a Magnetostrictive Transducer (MsT) Collar. It was originally developed by SwRI in 2002. The updated version has a flat, thin design allowing it to be used on pipes in tight spaces. In custom configurations, it can withstand heat up to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. The new, segmented MsT design also features eight sensors that give the transducer the ability to more accurately identify where in the pipe corrosion is occurring.

The MsT Collar utilizes magnetostrictive sensors, which generate and receive guided waves that propagate along an elongated structure, guided by its boundaries. This technique allows the waves to travel long distances with little loss in energy. In some cases, hundreds of meters can be inspected from a single location, though obstacles such as couplings would require an additional sensor.

“Instead of using one sensor to cover an entire pipe circumference, allowing only the axial location of an anomaly to be measured, we now have eight sensors in the transducer,” Vinogradov said. “Each of the sensors are independently connected to the electronics so that all possible guided wave signals can be acquired. Algorithms combine this information to better detect and locate the anomaly both axially and circumferentially, and the growth of the corrosion can be monitored by examining data sets acquired over time.”

The MsS system can send data to a remote terminal via a wireless transmitter unit or by means of a wired connection. It is designed primarily for oil and gas transmission pipelines to prevent costly and damaging leaks before they begin. However, the technology is versatile and has been used for other industrial pipes such as those used for water, heating, or in chemical plants.

Vinogradov and Bartels will demonstrate the MsT Collar at the ASNT Annual Conference in Nashville, Tennessee, from October 31 to November 3 at booth 1219.

SwRI’s Nondestructive Evaluation and Sensor Systems Section develops tools and techniques for nondestructive inspection, evaluation and testing featuring guided waves, computed tomography, ultrasonics, electromagnetics and other techniques.

To learn more, visit https://www.swri.org/magnetostrictive-sensor-based-guided-waves or https://www.swri.org/industries/sensor-systems-nondestructive-evaluation-nde.

WHITE SUPREMACIST MEDICINE

Minorities face longer wait times for vital lung cancer treatment, study finds

Peer-Reviewed Publication

UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA HEALTH SYSTEM

 

IMAGE: “OUR RESULTS SUGGEST THAT NON-WHITE LUNG CANCER PATIENTS HAVE DELAYED TIME TO CANCER TREATMENT COMPARED WITH WHITE PATIENTS, AND THIS IS NOT LIMITED TO A PARTICULAR TYPE OF TREATMENT FACILITY," SAID SENIOR RESEARCHER RAJESH BALKRISHNAN, PHD, OF UVA CANCER CENTER AND THE UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA SCHOOL OF MEDICINE’S DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH SCIENCES. view more 

CREDIT: DAN ADDISON | UVA COMMUNICATIONS

A new study has revealed significant racial disparities in how quickly minorities with the most common form of lung cancer receive potentially lifesaving radiation therapy compared with their white counterparts.

UVA Cancer Center researchers reviewed data from more than 222,700 patients with non-small cell lung cancer across the country. They found that the mean time to radiation initiation was 61.7 days. For white patients, it was only 60.9 days; for Black patients, it was 65.9 days; and for Asian patients, it was 71.9 days.

These differences can have real consequences, as speedy treatment initiation contributes to better outcomes. A single-week delay in treatment has been associated with a 3.2% and 1.6% increase in the risk of death for patients with stage I and stage II non-small cell lung cancer, respectively.

The troubling findings prompted the UVA researchers to call for further investigation into the underlying causes of the disparities and to urge efforts to ensure equity in treatment access.

“Our results suggest that non-white lung cancer patients have delayed time to cancer treatment compared with white patients, and this is not limited to a particular type of treatment facility," said senior researcher Rajesh Balkrishnan, PhD, of UVA Cancer Center and the University of Virginia School of Medicine’s Department of Public Health Sciences. “Collaboration among providers and community stakeholders and organizations is much needed to increase accessibility and patient knowledge of cancer and to overcome existing disparities in timely care for lung cancer patients."

Cancer Treatment Disparities

The UVA researchers say there may be multiple reasons for the racial disparities. They note that non-white patients are more likely to be uninsured, face greater socioeconomic barriers to care and may be perceived by doctors as being at risk for not following through with their treatment plans. In addition, minorities are more likely to report less satisfaction with their encounters with care providers.

“These findings shed light on the potential presence of and impact of structural racism on patients seeking cancer treatment,” the researchers write in a paper in the scientific journal Health Equity. “Further investigation into the societal determinants that perpetuate disparity in time to radiation therapy, and potential interventions in the clinical setting to improve cultural and racial sensitivity among healthcare professionals, is recommended.”

The longest waits for treatment initiation were at academic health systems, the researchers report. They suggest this may be because patients begin their treatment in community hospitals and other local facilities before they need to be transferred to academic facilities that can offer more complex care.

Racial disparities were found across all types of hospitals, however. White patients consistently had the shortest time to treatment, while Asians had the longest, the researchers report.

Ensuring equity in access to cancer care and improving the quality of that care are major missions of UVA Cancer Center, which this year became one of only 53 cancer centers in the country designated a Comprehensive Cancer Center by the National Cancer Institute. The designation recognizes elite cancer centers with the most outstanding cancer programs in the nation. Comprehensive Cancer Centers must meet rigorous standards for innovative research and leading-edge clinical trials.

UVA Cancer Center is the only Comprehensive Cancer Center in Virginia.

Findings Published

The lung cancer findings have been published in the scientific journal Health Equity. The research team consisted of Akhil Rekulapelli, Raj P. Desai, Aditya Narayan, Linda W. Martin, Richard Hall, James M. Larner and Balkrishnan.

To keep up with the latest medical research news from UVA, subscribe to the Making of Medicine blog at http://makingofmedicine.virginia.edu.

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DOI

10.1089/heq.2022.0104 

Non-white newborns with cystic fibrosis more likely to be missed in screening

Peer-Reviewed Publication

UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA - SAN FRANCISCO

Researchers call for better newborn screens across the U.S.

Cystic fibrosis is missed more often in newborn screenings for non-white than white babies, creating higher risk for irreversible lung damage and other serious outcomes in Black, Hispanic, Asian, American Indian and Alaska Native newborns, a new study finds. 

The genetic panels used in newborn screening programs vary by state, but most tend to test for cystic fibrosis gene mutations that are common in white populations while excluding mutations more common in non-white populations, said Meghan McGarry, MD, associate professor of pediatrics at UC San Francisco (UCSF) Benioff Children’s Hospitals and first author of the study, publishing today in Pediatric Pulmonology. 

“Newborn screenings are meant to be a public health measure that is equal across populations, but in practice, we are actually creating disparities because children of color are going undiagnosed for cystic fibrosis until an older age,” McGarry said. “That means they are treated later when symptoms occur, and their outcomes are often worse.”

Cystic fibrosis is one of the most common genetic disorders, with about 1,000 new cases diagnosed each year. The disease causes the malfunction of a protein that helps regulate mucus, which can lead to blockages and trapped germs and eventually, infections such as bronchitis and pneumonia. Early diagnosis and treatment can reduce severe symptoms, such as failure to thrive, and is associated with improved nutrition, better pulmonary outcomes, and survival.

Better Screenings Needed

To determine case detection rates, researchers analyzed the genetic mutations of 46,729 people in the 2020 Cystic Fibrosis Foundation Patient Registry, then calculated the rate of delayed diagnosis or false-negative tests by race and ethnicity. They also compared data across states.

In most states, a newborn screen is positive only when at least one disease-causing variant of the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) gene is detected. This study found the detection rate of at least one CFTR variant in known cystic fibrosis patients was 56-77% in Asian patients, 73-86% in Black patients, 84-91% in American Indian and Alaska Native patients, and 81-94% in Hispanic patients, compared to 95-97% in white patients.  The differences between races and ethnicities were even larger when the tests aimed to detect two CTFR variants instead of just one. 

The states with greater racial and ethnic diversity had lower detection rates for each variant panel. Likewise, detection rates were higher overall with genetic panels that included more variants compared to fewer variants, though this wasn’t the case for all races/ethnicities. 

“In order for newborn screenings to be equitable, they must include CTFR variant panels that reflect the racial and ethnic diversity of the population,” McGarry said. “Three states--Wisconsin, New York and California--do this well and use full sequencing, as well as systematically monitor and review who is being missed, what variants they had, and whether they should be adding variants to the panels.”

While race and ethnicity are social constructs, the genes that cause cystic fibrosis do vary by race, ethnicity and region, said Susanna McColley, MD, professor of pediatrics at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and physician at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago, as well as senior author on the study. 

“The bias in newborn screening testing is coupled with clinician bias against diagnosis of cystic fibrosis in Black, Hispanic, Asian, and American Indian/Native Alaskan babies that can have fatal consequences,” said McColley. “We hope this work will lead to more equitable screening in all states.” 

‘Two diseases’ based on race

About 20% of cystic fibrosis cases are from racial and ethnic minority groups, and the disease occurs in people of all ethnicities and races across the U.S. The delays in detection and treatment for non-white patients has essentially created two diseases, noted McGarry. 

“Most white kids with cystic fibrosis nowadays are never hospitalized; for them, it’s an outpatient disease and they will likely live a full life. If you are not white, however, you are more likely to be the one in the hospital all the time with a severe disease,” McGarry said. “We have a young patient now who had a normal newborn screen, and he wasn’t diagnosed with cystic fibrosis until he was on the ventilator and intubated with multiple pneumonias and permanent lung damage.” 

The goal is to diagnose children before they are a month old to prevent irreversible harm, she added.

“As early as four weeks, you can already see permanent lung damage. Some even have symptoms in utero, though most undiagnosed babies start having respiratory symptoms around 4-8 weeks,” McGarry said. “There is good research showing that if you can get diagnosed through newborn screening before having a lot of disease—rather than being diagnosed with symptoms—you have much better outcomes in the long term.” 

Co-authors and funding: Please see paper for additional co-authors and funding disclosures.   
 

About UCSF Health: UCSF Health is recognized worldwide for its innovative patient care, reflecting the latest medical knowledge, advanced technologies and pioneering research. It includes the flagship UCSF Medical Center, which is ranked among the top 10 hospitals nationwide, as well as UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospitals, with campuses in San Francisco and Oakland, Langley Porter Psychiatric Hospital and Clinics, UCSF Benioff Children’s Physicians and the UCSF Faculty Practice. These hospitals serve as the academic medical center of the University of California, San Francisco, which is world-renowned for its graduate-level health sciences education and biomedical research. UCSF Health has affiliations with hospitals and health organizations throughout the Bay Area. Visit https://www.ucsfhealth.org/. Follow UCSF Health on Facebook or on Twitter

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Follow UCSF
ucsf.edu | Facebook.com/ucsf | Twitter.com/ucsf | YouTube.com/ucsf

 

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JOURNAL

Pediatric Pulmonology

By leaving garden waste alone, we could store 600,000 tons of CO2 per year

Danes shuttle nearly a million tons of garden waste from their gardens every year. But we would be doing the climate a great service if we just left it alone, according to the calculations of University of Copenhagen professor Per Gundersen

Reports and Proceedings

UNIVERSITY OF COPENHAGEN - FACULTY OF SCIENCE

Danes shuttle nearly a million tons of garden waste from their gardens every year. But we would be doing the climate a great service if we just left it alone, according to the calculations of University of Copenhagen professor Per Gundersen. At the same time, leaves and other garden waste are a boon for backyard biodiversity and soil.

Come fall, the sound of a leaf blower blasting leaves into piles, or the sight of a queue of garden waste-packed trailers at the recycling center is all too common, as trees shed their golden brown and yellow robes.

For the most part, Danes are happy to "tidy up" their gardens. Ministry of Environment figures report that Danes disposed of 983,000 tonnes of garden waste in 2019, all of which is transported, sorted and processed by municipal waste management systems. The largest branches and trunks are burned for bioenergy, while small branches, leaves and grass clippings are composted.

But perhaps we should leave more of our garden alone. According to Per Gundersen, a professor of forest ecology at the Department of Geosciences and Natural Resource Management at the University of Copenhagen, there are large CO2 savings to be made. Professor Gundersen calculated the implications for Denmark’s national climate account if Danes simply allowed garden waste to decompose in their gardens instead of burning it.

"If everyone went all-in and learned how to manage their garden’s branches and twigs, for example, my calculations suggest that we could store about 600,000 tons of CO2 annually," he says.

The calculations are based on a simple model that includes the different decomposition processes for leaves, twigs and branches.

When Gundersen deducts the utility that branches and trunks used for bioenergy in the current system provide, the CO2 storage potential of garden waste could meet about half of one percent of Denmark’s 70 percent reduction target for 2030.

"When garden waste is burned or composted by municipal waste schemes, CO2 is returned to the atmosphere very quickly. By keeping waste in the garden, the decomposition process is significantly slower. In practice, this means that one builds up a larger and larger storage of CO2 in the garden in the form of twigs, dead branches and leaves that are left to decompose," says Professor Gundersen.

Autumn leaves are good for the garden and biodiversity

Leaves are flying about and filling up yards at this time of the year. But instead of raking them up and hauling them off to a recycling center, there are other great reasons to leave them in the yard.

"Leaves help nourish the garden as they feed an entire ecosystem of decomposers. From fungi, bacteria and tiny, invisible soil creatures to earthworms and roly poly bugs, which help break down and metabolize organic material so that nutrients are released into the soil. These decomposers then act as important food source for larger animals like hedgehogs and birds," explains Per Gundersen.    

As microorganisms, worms and other decomposers wage war on the leaves, a large part of the biomass ends up as CO2 that is slowly released into the air over several years. A small portion of the gnawed leaves becomes soil humus, a common name for the complicated organic material that takes a very long time to decompose and is of great importance for plant health.

"A high humus content in topsoil makes for a dark soil that has a good structure and retains water and nutrients well, which is important if you want garden plants to thrive," says Per Gundersen.

Facts

• According to figures from the Danish Ministry of Environment, Danes disposed of 983,000 tons of garden waste in 2019. This figure includes garden waste from businesses and parks.
• The garden waste is extracted CO2 from the atmosphere. Converted, this amount corresponds to about 1.2 million tons of bound CO2.
• If Danes kept their garden waste in their yards and deducted the amount of garden waste used for bioenergy, about half of one percent of Denmark’s 70 percent reduction target for 2030 could be met.
• Leaves consist largely of the gas CO2. Minerals taken up into the soil account for less than 5% of a leaf.
• Leaves are small CO2 stores that absorb CO2 from the air and release some of it while decomposing.
• Leaves take 3-6 months to decompose, until half are left (their half-life), while twigs and branches take 2-5 years. Tree trunks decay over 10-20 years.
• Find inspiration for managing 'yard waste' on the Facebook page 'Klimahaven'

We must dare to let go of control

But what to make of all those leaves suddenly filling up the garden? Per Gundersen suggests raking them into planting beds where vegetables are grown, or over to areas where you want to avoid weeds. They can also be gathered in a part of the garden that you may be willing to let grow wild and manage itself.

"Funnily enough, while the wind tends to blow leaves around the garden, they often remain in beds or around bushes where there is less wind, which is a good thing," he says.

By spring, a large portion of the leaves will have already disintegrated and returned into the invisible garden cycle. Leaves from linden and ash trees are especially good at disappearing quickly from gardens. Oak and fruit tree leaves are slower to break down, making them ideal for soil insulation around bulbous plants or vegetables, for example.

"Our gardens can contribute to both the climate and biodiversity crisis by harnessing more garden waste. I also think that it will lead to a little less gardening in the long run. And then it's more fun, because there will be a greater abundance of life around the garden. We just need to dare to let go of control and make more room for nature by allowing for twigs and a few dead branches, for example" concludes Per Gundersen.

WVU researchers dig into study of manure as organic fertilizer

Grant and Award Announcement

WEST VIRGINIA UNIVERSITY

 

IMAGE: A MANURE SPREADER DRIVES OVER A PLOT OF LAND FOR A PREVIOUS RESEARCH PROJECT CONDUCTED BY ELIZABETH ROWEN, A SERVICE ASSISTANT PROFESSOR OF ENTOMOLOGY IN THE WEST VIRGINIA UNIVERSITY DAVIS COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE, NATURAL RESOURCES AND DESIGN. view more 

CREDIT: SUBMITTED PHOTO

These West Virginia University researchers are the No. 1 experts in No. 2. 

Led by Elizabeth Rowen, a team of faculty from the Davis College of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Design will study the use of manure as an organic fertilizer, thanks to a $750,000 grant from the United States Department of Agriculture.

More specifically, they are digging into the most effective ways to reduce insects and pathogens that threaten crops.

The U.S. is the world’s largest consumer of beef — much of which is grain-fed — and spends $233 billion annually to import wheat, corn and soybeans for organic livestock feed. However, domestic field crop producers might have an opportunity to meet those needs if the barriers to organic production, like pests and nutrient sources, were lowered.

The key may be cow manure, which helps build nutrient content and organic matter content of the soil and bolsters soil health.

“In organic production, manure is very common because it is one of the only sources of nutrients that you can have,” said Rowen, assistant professor of entomology. “You can’t use chemical sources of nutrients to grow things like organic grain to feed your cows. You have to produce them with manure or other types of composts.”

Manure not only makes an effective fertilizer, meeting plant nutritional needs, but it’s also a common one. It’s readily available in Pennsylvania and West Virginia, where the livestock and dairy industries are prevalent.

Agricultural managers can apply manure in dry-stacked, liquid or composted form, but it also may bolster weeds, insects and soil pathogens, all of which will damage organic crops. Rowen and her colleagues are studying which form is most likely to carry or combat these pests.

“We have put together a team that's going to look at the soils, the weeds, the microbiome of these plants,” Rowen said. “We’re looking at how the microbiome from the manure transfers to the soil, and how it then affects insects. Because there's good evidence that applying manure can make plants more resistant to insect pests.”

Researchers don’t know why, but possible factors include the microbial community in the soil or the micronutrients from the applied manure fertilizer.

The right soil conditions will also encourage beneficial insects like spiders and ground beetles, which are important predators in agricultural systems. Organic matter in the soil feeds and stabilizes predator populations so they can prey on destructive insects.

“We know that organic systems tend to have fewer insect pests even though they’re not getting sprayed with insecticides,” Rowen said. “But is there something about manure that’s making these plants more resilient? We’re going to be investigating in the greenhouse, trying to pick apart that system. I’m really excited about it.”

Cost effectiveness, too, plays a role in what fertilizers a farmer may choose, so the research team will be looking at ways to make an organic farm more profitable.

Researchers at the WVU Davis College of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Design are utilizing plots at the WVU Agronomy Farm to research effective ways to use manure as organic fertilizer

CAPTION

Researchers at the WVU Davis College of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Design are utilizing plots at the WVU Agronomy Farm to research effective ways to use manure as organic fertilizer

“The U.S. is importing organic grain, and it’s got a higher economic value than conventional grain,” Rowen said. “That’s one of the reasons you would transition to growing your own organic grain, because the alternative is expensive.”

She said team member Ana Claudia Sant’Ana, assistant professor of resource economics and management, will be looking at how fertilizer management affects profitability. Other members of the research team include Ember Morrissey, Jim Kotcon, Eugenia Peña-Yewtukhiw and Rakesh Chandran.

Currently, Rowen and her colleagues are preparing for the three-year study at the WVU Agronomy Farm where they’ll plant four different crops. In the spring, they’ll apply either liquid, raw (dry-stacked) or composted manure to the soil before planting corn, soy and wheat. The fourth will be a control that doesn’t receive any fertilizer. Researchers will also have plots that are certified organic and others that will transition to organic. The latter will represent farmers who want to become organic and need an appropriate fertilizer.

“We want to be able to present the options,” she said. “Especially for people who are trying to decide what to invest in. Things like composting their manure and using liquid manure, those are investments in terms of equipment and time and such. If there’s really an advantage for their pest management strategies, it's valuable to have that information.”

Rowen hopes the results will support decision-making in the future. In a nation with growing interest in organic milk and beef, she sees the potential to increase organic feed production and help farmers transition to more profitable organic production.

“We drink a lot of milk and we eat a lot of beef,” she said. “We’re not getting rid of cows anytime soon.”

3D flora and fauna at your fingertips

Repository of over 1,400 highly detailed 3D models of animals and plants captured with ‘Bio-photogrammetry’ publicly available

Peer-Reviewed Publication

KYUSHU UNIVERSITY

 

IMAGE: 3D RENDER OF A LUNA LIONFISH TAKEN WITH BIO-PHOTOGRAMMETRY view more 

CREDIT: KANO LAB/KYUSHU UNIVERSITY

Fukuoka, Japan—Reporting in Research Ideas and Outcomes, a Kyushu University researcher has developed a new technique for scanning various plants and animals and reconstructing them into highly detailed 3D models. To date, over 1,400 models have been made available online for public use. 

Open any textbook or nature magazine and you will find stunning high-resolution pictures of the diverse flora and fauna that encompass our world. From the botanical illustrations in Dioscorides’ De materia medica (50-70 CE) to Robert Hooke’s sketches of the microscopic world in Micrographia (1665), scientists and artists alike have worked meticulously to draw the true majesty of nature.  

The advent of photography has given us even more detailed images of animals and plants both big and small, in some cases providing new information on an organism's morphology. As technology developed, digital libraries began to grow, giving us near unfettered access to valuable data, with methods like computer tomography, or CT, and MRI scanning becoming powerful tools for studying the internal structure of such creatures.  

"While powerful, MRI scanning and CT methods are prohibitively expensive. You also can't collect vital information such as the organism's color," explains Yuichi Kano, associate professor of Kyushu University's Graduate Education and Research Training Program in Decision Science for a Sustainable Society. "So, we developed ‘bio-photogrammetry’ as a way to incorporate photogrammetry that could scan and render a high-quality 3D image of an organism." 

Photogrammetry is a method by which you can obtain information and measurements about objects by analyzing photos or other imagery. Today it is commonly used to scan everything from landscapes to sculptures to make digital 3D models, similar to what you find on Google Earth. 

Kano took that same methodology to make thousands of models of various organisms. 

“We suspended the sample on a fishing line and took photos from multiple angles. We would end up taking hundreds of photos of the sample, and input up to 500 of the best ones into the photogrammetry program,” explains Kano. “It is similar to how the ‘bullet time’ sequences were filmed in the first Matrix movie, except instead of Keanu Reeves on a line surrounded by cameras, we use an octopus.” 

While Kano has been working on various organisms including insects, plants, and even fungi, he is currently focusing on aquatic animals such as fish and amphibians. To date, there are over 1,400 specimens available all free to use under the CC BY 4.0 license. 

There are a few limitations in the current methodology, such as difficulty in capturing transparent creatures or making models of exceedingly small (<5 mm) or large (>1 m) organisms, but a few improvements in software and protocols could help solve such issues. 

“I hope to see this work continue to grow and be utilized in various fields like taxonomy, morphology, and ecology. It’s free to the public, so you can use it in education or even plug it into a VR machine and explore these organisms up-close. I’d like to see what some people can come up with,” concludes Kano. 

Bio-photogrammetry in action (VIDEO)

A sample organism, in this case a Long-spine Balloonfish (Diodon olocanthus), is processed (inflated), scanned, and rendered into a high-quality 3D model. Up to 500 photos go into rendering a single model. Kano demonstrates in the video how the process is done.

A series of 3D models taken using Bio0photogrammetry. The process can be used to scan a variety of organisms including plants, amphibians, and insects.

CREDIT

Kano Lab/Kyushu University

For more information about this research, see "Bio-photogrammetry: digitally archiving coloured 3D morphology data of creatures and associated challenges," Yuichi Kano, Research Ideas and Outcomes (2022). https://doi.org/10.3897/rio.8.e86985 

About Kyushu University 
Kyushu University is one of Japan's leading research-oriented institutes of higher education since its founding in 1911. Home to around 19,000 students and 8,000 faculty and staff, Kyushu U's world-class research centers cover a wide range of study areas and research fields, from the humanities and arts to engineering and medical sciences. Its multiple campuses—including the largest in Japan—are located around Fukuoka City, a coastal metropolis on the southwestern Japanese island of Kyushu that is frequently ranked among the world's most livable cities and historically known as a gateway to Asia. 

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JOURNAL

Research Ideas and Outcomes

DOI

10.3897/rio.8.e86985 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Computational simulation/modeling

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

Animals

ARTICLE TITLE

Bio-photogrammetry: digitally archiving coloured 3D morphology data of creatures and associated challenges