ARCHIVED CONTENT: In December 2020, the CZO program was succeeded by the Critical Zone Collaborative Network (CZ Net) ×

Conceptual Models

Overarching question: How do hot spots and hot moments in weathering, biogeochemical cycling, hydrologic processes, and atmospheric inputs drive landscape evolution and CZ function in a humid tropical forest?

How critical zone processes, water balances, and mass fluxes differ in landscapes  with contrasting lithology  but similar climatic and environmental histories. The critical zone is a function of climate, parent material, biota, topography, and time. 

Broad et al., 2015

Bedrock-to-Regolith

Bedrock and Regolith Weathering
Conceptual models of deep CZ structure and function.


Forests/Topography

Forest Structure Effects on Topography
Rio Icacos /Rio Blanco Forest structure effects on topography


GASH

ET and Throughfall
The LCZO builds upon a long history of research on ET and throughfall.


Icacos subsurface

Coupling CZ structure and CZ function with observations of the physical and chemical structure.
Coupling CZ structure and CZ function with observations of the physical and chemical structure.


Incision/transport

River incisition, sediment and solute transport
Linking Climate and fluxes at the landscape, channel and reach scales



 

FA 1: Deep Critical Zone: Geological underpinning that drives all Critical Zone processes

Cretaceous-aged volcaniclastic sedimentary rocks were  intruded by a quartz diorite pluton 48 Ma. Around the pluton, the rocks were metamorphosed to hornfels facies in a contact aureole. The rocks were uplifted in the Luquillo Mountains between 4 and 5 Ma (Brocard et al., 2015), initiating denudation, leading to eventual exposure of the contact aureole at the core of the range.

Brocard et al., in prep

FA4: integrating across the mountain landscape: landslides, clouds and dust

FA 1: Deep Critical Zone: Geological underpinning that drives all Critical Zone processes

Brocard et al., in prep

FA4: integrating across the mountain landscape: landslides, clouds and dust