Principles and Dynamics of the Critical Zone

Principles and Dynamics of the Critical Zone is an invaluable resource for undergraduate and graduate courses and an essential tool for researchers developing cutting-edge proposals. It provides a process-based description of the Critical Zone, a place that The National Research Council (2001) defines 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." This text provides a summary of Critical Zone research and outcomes from the NSF funded Critical Zone Observatories, providing a process-based description of the Critical Zone in a wide range of environments with a specific focus on the important linkages that exist amongst the processes in each zone. This book will be useful to all scientists and students conducting research on the Critical Zone within and outside the Critical Zone Observatory Network, as well as scientists and students in the geosciences – atmosphere, geomorphology, geology and pedology.

The first text to address the principles and concepts of the Critical ZoneA comprehensive approach to the processes responsible for the development and structure of the Critical Zone in a number of environmentsAn essential tool for undergraduate and graduate students, and researchers developing cutting-edge proposals

1. The Creation of the Critical Zone Observatory Network and its Philosophy 2. The Critical Zone Program and Centers 3. Land-Atmosphere Interaction in the Critical Zone 4. Regolith and Weathering in the Critical Zone 5. Soil Morphology in the Critical Zone 6. Soil Geochemistry in the Critical Zone 7. Terrestrial Landscape Ecology in the Critical Zone 8. Ecohydrology in the Critical Zone 9. Rivers in the Critical Zone 10. Characteristic and Role of Groundwater in the Critical Zone 11. Mass Movement Processes and Risk in the Critical Zone 12. Glacial Landscapes in the Critical Zone 13. Periglacial Landscapes in the Critical Zone 14. Arid Landscapes in the Critical Zone 15. Tropical Environments in the Critical Zone 16. Coastal Landscapes in the Critical Zone 17. Remote Sensing of Process Domains in the Critical Zone 18. The Built Environment in the Critical Zone 19. Natural and Anthropogenic Factors Affecting Groundwater in the Critical Zone 20. A Summary and Future Direction of the Principles and Dynamics of the Critical Zone