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Mission Statement
Land Management
- Improved land maintenance and repair techniques, including erosion prevention and habitat protection in seasonally frozen and thawed soils.
- Revegetation of metal-contaminated soils, such as in military small-
arms ranges.
- Selective breeding and seed increase programs for resilient impact-
resistant, cold tolerant plants on military training lands.
- Ecological-bridge seed mixtures for rapid establishment of native plants.
- Plant genetics.
Remediation in Disturbed Natural Systems
- Rhizosphere-enhancement of natural bio-remediation processes (phytoremediation).
- Natural attenuation of explosives via humification.
- Low-temperature performance of CB-agent decontamination solutions.
- Biochemical inputs for predicting dissolved oxygen levels in ice-covered rivers and frazil ice.
Persistance and Fate of Native and Non-Indigenous Organisms
- Pathogen persistance in frozen and thawed soils.
- Chemical and biological agent fate and persistance in dynamic soil conditions.
- Microbial activity in soils during low temperatures and freeze–thaw cycles.
Novel Detectors and Monitoring Strategies
- Novel techniques to monitor biochemical processes in soils.
- Interferences of bio-inspired sensors in realistic environments.
- Unique signatures for stand-off.
BPEM Challenges
BPEM successfully integrates microbiology, agronomy, and geochemistry by asking critical research questions including:
- Do plants, microbes and earth materials interact in the environment?
- Can these interactions be optimized to sustain Army readiness?
- Can these interactions be harnessed for warfighter support?
This is accomplished through:
- Dissemination of resultant knowledge to the scientific community.
- Transfer technology to end users.
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