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1. Designing a network of critical zone observatories to explore the living skin of the terrestrial Earth

   https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-2017-36  

   Brantley, Susan L.; McDowell, William H.; Dietrich, William E.; White, Timothy S.; Kumar, Praveen; Anderson, Suzanne; Chorover, Jon; Lohse, Kathleen A.; Bales, Roger C.; Richter, Daniel; et al (June 2017, Earth Surface Dynamics Discussions)

   The critical zone (CZ), the dynamic living skin of the Earth, extends from the top of the vegetation canopy through the soil and down to fresh bedrock and the bottom of groundwater. All humans live in and depend on the critical zone. This zone has three co-evolving surfaces: the top of the vegetation canopy, the ground surface, and a deep subsurface below which Earth’s materials are unweathered. The US National Science Foundation supported network of nine critical zone observatories has made advances in three broad critical zone research areas. First, monitoring has revealed how natural and anthropogenic inputs at the vegetation canopy and ground surface cause subsurface responses in water, regolith structure, minerals, and biotic activity to considerable depths. This response in turn impacts above-ground biota and climate. Second, drilling and geophysical imaging now reveal how the deep subsurface of the CZ varies across landscapes, which in turn influences above-ground ecosystems. Third, several mechanistic models providing quantitative predictions of the spatial structure of the subsurface of the CZ have been proposed. Many countries now fund networks of critical zone observatories (CZOs) to measure the fluxes of solutes, water, energy, gas, and sediments in the CZ and some relate these observations to the histories of those fluxes recorded in landforms, biota, soils, sediments, and rocks. Each U.S. observatory has succeeded in synthesizing observations across disciplines; providing long-term measurements to compare across sites; testing and developing models; collecting and measuring baseline data for comparison to catastrophic events; stimulating new process-based hypotheses; catalyzing development of new techniques and instrumentation; informing the public about the CZ; mentoring students and teaching about emerging multi-disciplinary CZ science; and discovering new insights about the CZ. Many of these activities can only be accomplished with observatories. Here we review the CZO experiment in the US and identify how such a network could evolve in the future. Specifically, we recognize the need for the network to study network-level questions, expand the environments under investigation, accommodate both hypothesis testing and monitoring, and involve more stakeholders. We propose a hubs-and-campaigns model that promotes study of the CZ as one unit. Only with such integrative efforts will we learn to steward the life-sustaining critical zone now and into the future. 

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2. Designing a suite of measurements to understand the critical zone

   https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-4-211-2016  

   Brantley, Susan L.; DiBiase, Roman A.; Russo, Tess A.; Shi, Yuning; Lin, Henry; Davis, Kenneth J.; Kaye, Margot; Hill, Lillian; Kaye, Jason; Eissenstat, David M.; et al (January 2016, Earth Surface Dynamics)

   Abstract. Many scientists have begun to refer to the earth surface environment from the upper canopy to the depths of bedrock as the critical zone (CZ). Identification of the CZ as an integral object worthy of study implicitly posits that the study of the whole earth surface will provide benefits that do not arise when studying the individual parts. To study the CZ, however, requires prioritizing among the measurements that can be made – and we do not generally agree on the priorities. Currently, the Susquehanna Shale Hills Critical Zone Observatory (SSHCZO) is expanding from a small original focus area (0.08km², Shale Hills catchment), to a larger watershed (164km², Shavers Creek watershed) and is grappling with the prioritization. This effort is an expansion from a monolithologic first-order forested catchment to a watershed that encompasses several lithologies (shale, sandstone, limestone) and land use types (forest, agriculture). The goal of the project remains the same: to understand water, energy, gas, solute, and sediment (WEGSS) fluxes that are occurring today in the context of the record of those fluxes over geologic time as recorded in soil profiles, the sedimentary record, and landscape morphology. Given the small size of the Shale Hills catchment, the original design incorporated measurement of as many parameters as possible at high temporal and spatial density. In the larger Shavers Creek watershed, however, we must focus the measurements. We describe a strategy of data collection and modeling based on a geomorphological and land use framework that builds on the hillslope as the basic unit. Interpolation and extrapolation beyond specific sites relies on geophysical surveying, remote sensing, geomorphic analysis, the study of natural integrators such as streams, groundwaters or air, and application of a suite of CZ models. We hypothesize that measurements of a few important variables at strategic locations within a geomorphological framework will allow development of predictive models of CZ behavior. In turn, the measurements and models will reveal how the larger watershed will respond to perturbations both now and into the future. 

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3. Expanding the Spatial Reach and Human Impacts of Critical Zone Science

   https://doi.org/10.1029/2023EF003971  

   Singha, Kamini; Sullivan, Pamela L.; Billings, Sharon A.; Walls, Leon; Li, Li; Jarecke, Karla M.; Barnard, Holly R.; Gasparini, Nicole M.; Madoff, Risa D.; Dhital, Saroj; et al (March 2024, Earth's Future)

   Two major barriers hinder the holistic understanding of subsurface critical zone (CZ) evolution and its impacts: (a) an inability to measure, define, and share information and (b) a societal structure that inhibits inclusivity and creativity. In contrast to the aboveground portion of the CZ, which is visible and measurable, the bottom boundary is difficult to access and quantify. In the context of these barriers, we aim to expand the spatial reach of the CZ by highlighting existing and effective tools for research as well as the “human reach” of CZ science by expanding who performs such science and who it benefits. We do so by exploring the diversity of vocabularies and techniques used in relevant disciplines, defining terminology, and prioritizing research questions that can be addressed. Specifically, we explore geochemical, geomorphological, geophysical, and ecological measurements and modeling tools to estimate CZ base and thickness. We also outline the importance of and approaches to developing a diverse CZ workforce that looks like and harnesses the creativity of the society it serves, addressing historical legacies of exclusion. Looking forward, we suggest that to grow CZ science, we must broaden the physical spaces studied and their relationships with inhabitants, measure the “deep” CZ and make data accessible, and address the bottlenecks of scaling and data‐model integration. What is needed—and what we have tried to outline—are common and fundamental structures that can be applied anywhere and used by the diversity of researchers involved in investigating and recording CZ processes from a myriad of perspectives. 

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4. Geophysics‐Informed Hydrologic Modeling of a Mountain Headwater Catchment for Studying Hydrological Partitioning in the Critical Zone

   https://doi.org/10.1029/2023WR035280  

   Chen, Hang; Niu, Qifei; Mendieta, Aida; Bradford, John; McNamara, James (December 2023, Water Resources Research)

   Abstract Hydrologic modeling has been a useful approach for analyzing water partitioning in catchment systems. It will play an essential role in studying the responses of watersheds under projected climate changes. Numerous studies have shown it is critical to include subsurface heterogeneity in the hydrologic modeling to correctly simulate various water fluxes and processes in the hydrologic system. In this study, we test the idea of incorporating geophysics‐obtained subsurface critical zone (CZ) structures in the hydrologic modeling of a mountainous headwater catchment. The CZ structure is extracted from a three‐dimensional seismic velocity model developed from a series of two‐dimensional velocity sections inverted from seismic travel time measurements. Comparing different subsurface models shows that geophysics‐informed hydrologic modeling better fits the field observations, including streamflow discharge and soil moisture measurements. The results also show that this new hydrologic modeling approach could quantify many key hydrologic fluxes in the catchment, including streamflow, deep infiltration, and subsurface water storage. Estimations of these fluxes from numerical simulations generally have low uncertainties and are consistent with estimations from other methods. In particular, it is straightforward to calculate many hydraulic fluxes or states that may not be measured directly in the field or separated from field observations. Examples include quickflow/subsurface lateral flow, soil/rock moisture, and deep infiltration. Thus, this study provides a useful approach for studying the hydraulic fluxes and processes in the deep subsurface (e.g., weathered bedrock), which needs to be better represented in many earth system models. 

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5. Early Career Critical Zone Science Workshop Outcomes

   https://doi.org/10.22541/essoar.175034148.88097851/v1  

   Miller, Hannah; Wang, Lijing; Adamchak, Clifford; Johnson, Keira; Donaldson, Amanda (June 2025, ESS Open Archive)

   Critical Zone (CZ) science investigates the interconnected processes occurring from the top of the vegetation canopy to the base of the groundwater. Recognizing the need to foster cross- disciplinary collaboration among early-career researchers (ECRs), graduate students organized two workshops in 2024 and 2025 aimed at building community, sharing research approaches, and discussing the future of CZ science. These workshops brought together participants from diverse disciplines, institutions, and career stages, and included research talks, structured discussions, and community-building activities. Survey results demonstrated increased confidence in cross-disciplinary collaboration and highlighted the value of supportive, in-person settings for networking and broadening scientific perspectives. Recommendations include expanding support for small, ECR-focused workshops and prioritizing institutional structures that sustain collaborative, transdisciplinary CZ research. 

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