Special issue of the American Journal of Science

This is the second part of a special issue of the American Journal of Science examining a problem that defines, perhaps more than any other, the state-of-the-art in the geochemistry of fluid-solid interaction: how to integrate data from both observations and modeling of events of brief duration at essentially atomic scales (for example, attachment, diffusion, detachment, hydrolysis), to that of mesoscale, ensemble processes (crystal dissolution, growth, alteration). The ultimate goal is an understanding of the long-term, phenomenological consequences of these interactions, often termed “upscaling”. Success in predicting and constraining these latter outcomes determines the larger value of this field, both to neighbors in environmental sciences and engineering, as well as to the public in terms of policy, education, and support. Nanoscale observation of mineral surfaces via instruments such as AFM and VSI is now widespread; increases in resolution and analytical capability of these instruments have also evolved in tandem with advances in the power and resolution of simulation and modeling approaches. Closely tied to an emerging theoretical framework, this “soft” progress in simulation and modeling was the focus of the first part of this issue.