Lou Joshua E, Larson Lucas F, Han Samuel M, Ibrahimd Naira, Han Fengxiang X
Oxford Academy, 5172 Orange Ave, Cypress, CA 90630.
St. Aloysius High School, Vicksburg, MS 39180.
MethodsX. 2022 Jul 25;9:101794. doi: 10.1016/j.mex.2022.101794. eCollection 2022.
Uranium (U) is a naturally occurring, radioactive, toxic trace element that poses severe risks to public and environmental health. Depleted uranium (DU) is widely used in military munitions, including penetrators. Our previous studies showed that in arid landscapes, water-soluble U released from corroded DU penetrators that were buried underground were co-transported upwards with water by evaporation-driven capillary action and eventually precipitated on the ground surface. The first objective of this study was to develop a visualization system to simulate this complex U upward transport mechanism involving cyclic capillary wetting-drying cycles. Multiple visual components such as visual elements, canvases, and animations were created using JavaScript, HTML, and CSS programming languages and coordinated to visualize this biogeochemical process in arid ecosystem landscapes. The second objective was to develop an interactive visualization exercise to allow users to study the effect of the type of capillarity solutions on the speed of the U upward transport. This study is significant in the following aspects:•Contributing a clear and comprehensible visualization of the complex U transport mechanism;•Developing a novel visualization coding framework with more advantages in simulating heavy metal upward transport mechanisms than regular software-based simulations; and•Providing educational uses such as an instructional tool in secondary and college STEM classrooms, an outreach material in promoting student interest in STEM topics and raising public awareness of U pollution, and an educational aid for understanding U mobility in order to develop effective heavy metal pollution control and remediation strategies and policies.
铀（U）是一种天然存在的放射性有毒微量元素，对公众健康和环境构成严重风险。贫铀（DU）广泛用于军事弹药，包括穿甲弹。我们之前的研究表明，在干旱地区，埋在地下的腐蚀贫铀穿甲弹释放出的水溶性铀通过蒸发驱动的毛细作用与水一起向上共运移，最终沉淀在地面上。本研究的第一个目标是开发一个可视化系统，以模拟这种涉及周期性毛细干湿循环的复杂铀向上运移机制。使用JavaScript、HTML和CSS编程语言创建了多个视觉组件，如图像元素、画布和动画，并进行协调，以可视化干旱生态系统景观中的这一生物地球化学过程。第二个目标是开展一项交互式可视化练习，让用户研究毛细溶液类型对铀向上运移速度的影响。本研究在以下几个方面具有重要意义：
清晰、易懂地呈现复杂的铀运移机制；
开发一种新颖的可视化编码框架，在模拟重金属向上运移机制方面比常规的基于软件的模拟具有更多优势；
提供教育用途，例如作为中学和大学STEM课堂的教学工具、促进学生对STEM主题的兴趣并提高公众对铀污染认识的宣传材料，以及帮助理解铀迁移性的教育辅助工具，以便制定有效的重金属污染控制和修复策略及政策。
