“…The CZ is defined as the “heterogeneous, near surface environment in which complex interactions involving rock, soil, water, air, and living organisms regulate the natural habitat and determine the availability of life‐sustaining resources” (National Research Council, 2001) and is becoming increasingly important during the Anthropocene (Gaillardet et al., 2018). A predictive comprehension of the CZ is key to adapting to environmental changes as we proceed through the Anthropocene (e.g., Owens, 2020; Wohl, 2013), and CZ science emphasizes a whole‐system, cross‐disciplinary approach, as suggested 25 years ago by Ashley (1998):Topics that push across new frontiers and provide research opportunities and potential for better understanding of the planet upon which we live…It is the home of forests, deserts and agriculture, but potable water and toxic wastes also pass through this zone. A holistic approach is needed to understand the three‐dimensional complex linkages involving physical, chemical and biological processes (p.148).…”
Section: The Challenges and Motivationmentioning
confidence: 99%
“…The CZ is defined as the "heterogeneous, near surface environment in which complex interactions involving rock, soil, water, air, and living organisms regulate the natural habitat and determine the availability of life-sustaining resources" (National Research Council, 2001) and is becoming increasingly important during the Anthropocene (Gaillardet et al, 2018). A predictive comprehension of the CZ is key to adapting to environmental changes as we proceed through the Anthropocene (e.g., Owens, 2020;Wohl, 2013), and CZ science emphasizes a whole-system, crossdisciplinary approach, as suggested 25 years ago by Ashley (1998):…”
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.
“…The CZ is defined as the “heterogeneous, near surface environment in which complex interactions involving rock, soil, water, air, and living organisms regulate the natural habitat and determine the availability of life‐sustaining resources” (National Research Council, 2001) and is becoming increasingly important during the Anthropocene (Gaillardet et al., 2018). A predictive comprehension of the CZ is key to adapting to environmental changes as we proceed through the Anthropocene (e.g., Owens, 2020; Wohl, 2013), and CZ science emphasizes a whole‐system, cross‐disciplinary approach, as suggested 25 years ago by Ashley (1998):Topics that push across new frontiers and provide research opportunities and potential for better understanding of the planet upon which we live…It is the home of forests, deserts and agriculture, but potable water and toxic wastes also pass through this zone. A holistic approach is needed to understand the three‐dimensional complex linkages involving physical, chemical and biological processes (p.148).…”
Section: The Challenges and Motivationmentioning
confidence: 99%
“…The CZ is defined as the "heterogeneous, near surface environment in which complex interactions involving rock, soil, water, air, and living organisms regulate the natural habitat and determine the availability of life-sustaining resources" (National Research Council, 2001) and is becoming increasingly important during the Anthropocene (Gaillardet et al, 2018). A predictive comprehension of the CZ is key to adapting to environmental changes as we proceed through the Anthropocene (e.g., Owens, 2020;Wohl, 2013), and CZ science emphasizes a whole-system, crossdisciplinary approach, as suggested 25 years ago by Ashley (1998):…”
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.
“…Gail Ashley (1998) was the first to apply the term Critical Zone to the thin terrestrial layer where the vegetation canopy connects to the soil, the soil connects to weathered materials, weathered materials connect to bedrock, and bedrock provides a connection to an aquifer. As defined by the National Research Council (2001, 2), the Critical Zone is:‘… the heterogeneous, near-surface environment in which complex interactions involving rock, soil, water, air and living organisms regulate the natural habitat and determine availability of life sustaining resources.’…”
Section: The Pedosphere and The Critical Zonementioning
The idea that soil or the pedosphere is connected to the other terrestrial spheres dates back at least to 1880. Some 26 years later, the interdependency of the terrestrial spheres was established, but a fully integrative approach to addressing the interdependence of the biosphere, pedosphere, atmosphere, hydrosphere, geosphere, and toposphere did not emerge until the advent of Earth Systems Science during the 1980s. A significant development within the Earth Systems approach was a re-evaluation of the pedosphere’s role in the global system, the outcome of which is at least twofold: first, an appraisal of the pedosphere as a two-way interactor with the other terrestrial spheres, the study of which has given rise to some “new” pedologies—biopedology, geopedology, topopedology, hydropedology, and anthropopedology; and second, the pedosphere as a key component of what has become known as the Earth’s Critical Zone. The background, current status, and prospects of these hybrid pedologies and the extent to which they truly deal with interdependencies within the environment are the focus of this article.
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