Digging up Microbes in the Critical Zone

An illustrated introduction to Dr. Rebecca Lybrand's research on digging up microbes in the Critical Zone.  By Drs. Rebecca Lybrand...

Digging up Microbes in the Critical Zone

An illustrated introduction to Dr. Rebecca Lybrand's research on digging up microbes in the Critical Zone.  By Drs. Rebecca Lybrand...

Where does gasoline go?

In the U.S., we burn over a gallon of gasoline per person, per day. What becomes of all that? What does it have to do with the Critical Zone?

Don Haas

Tracking water movement from mountains in the Critical Zone

An illustrated introduction to Dr. Ravindra Dwivedi's research on tracking water movement from mountains in the Critical Zone. By Drs....

Ravindra Dwivedi

Investigating mercury sources in the deep Critical Zone

An illustrated introduction to Justin Richardson's research on mercury sources in the deep Critical Zone.  By Justin Richardson...

Justin Richardson

Exploring carbon dioxide sources at Eel River CZO

An illustrated introduction to Dr. Jennifer Druhan's research on how carbon is stored in the Critical Zone. By Drs. Jennifer Druhan...

Jennifer Druhan

Why should we care about quartz?

Quartz is beautiful. It shimmers in light and its rainbow of colors have stoked the imagination of everyone from admirers seeking spiritual healing...

Justin Richardson

A Tale of Two Dust Specks

This comic is based on research conducted by critical zone scientists Sarah Aciego, Emma Aronson, Lindsay Arvin, Stephen Hart, Clifford Riebe, and...

Michelle Gilmore

What are extreme weather events and how do they change the Critical Zone?

Change is the only constant, it has been often said, and the Critical Zone is not immune to fast and slow changes. Some of the most devastating...

Justin Richardson

What is the Eel River Critical Zone Observatory?

An illustrated introduction to the Eel River Critical Zone Observatory! By Dr. Bill E. Dietrich and Justin Richardson Illustrated by Alana...

Justin Richardson

Modeling the Critical Zone

Models are everywhere in modern society. This is far beyond billboards advertising products and in plastic dioramas showing miniaturized versions of...

Justin Richardson

What is the Southern Sierra CZO?

An illustrated introduction to the Southern Sierra Critical Zone Observatory! By Dr. Justin Richardson and Michelle Gilmore Illustrated by Alana...

Justin Richardson

What are clays and do they have a role in the Critical Zone?

There is a saying that big things come in small packages and few things fit this statement more than clays. Clays are important for many aspects of...

Justin Richardson

Why do we care about suspended matter in water?

Water is essential to life. We all rely on it for our daily uses and keeps us hydrated. What we know about our water is that it either came from a...

Mathieu Le Meur

Making the connection – from the classroom to the field

Making the connection – from the classroom to the field Connections are everything these days, whether it is chatting with family across the...

Can we see the Critical Zone breathe?

Watching the clouds fly past on a sunny summer day is not just a pleasant scene, they also show how dynamic our atmosphere is. We can see the clouds...

Justin Richardson

What is the Intensively Managed Landscapes CZO?

An illustrated introduction to the Intensively Managed Landscapes (IML) Critical Zone Observatory! By Dr. Justin Richardson and Dr. Praveen Kumar...

Justin Richardson

Seeing the subsurface with a sledgehammer instead of a shovel

Do you know where plants get water during the long summer months when the region has not had any rain or snow for weeks? Have you ever wondered how...

Brady Flinchum

What is the Luquillo CZO?

An illustrated introduction to the Luquillo Critical Zone Observatory! By Dr. Justin Richardson and Dr. Bill McDowell. Illustrated by Alana...

Justin Richardson

Are all environments part of the Critical Zone?

Before we can consider what is or is not part of the Critical Zone, we have to ask ourselves: “What is the Critical Zone?” Dr. Gail...

Justin Richardson

Who does Critical Zone science?

Who does Critical Zone science? Movies and TV shows lead us to believe that when discoveries are made, it is by a lone scientist, sitting in a...

Justin Richardson

What is the Boulder Creek CZO?

An illustrated introduction to the Boulder Creek Critical Zone Observatory! By Dr. Justin Richardson and Dr. Suzanne Anderson. Illustrated by...

Justin Richardson

What is the Susquehanna-Shale Hills CZO?

An illlustrated introduction to the Susquehanna-Shale Hills Critical Zone Observatory! By Justin Richardson and Jennifer Z Williams. Illustrated...

Justin Richardson

What is the Santa Catalina-Jemez River Basin Critical Zone Observatory?

An illlustrated introduction to the Santa Catalina-Jemez River Basin Critical Zone Observatory! By Justin Richardson and Jon Chorover....

Justin Richardson

What can the watershed approach tell us about the Critical Zone?

What can the watershed approach tell us about the Critical Zone? Creating a new tool is a defining moment in science. In astronomy, the...

Justin Richardson

What is the Reynolds Creek Critical Zone Observatory?

An illlustrated introduction to the Reynolds Creek Critical Zone Observatory! By Justin Richardson and Kathleen Lohse. Illustrated by Mathew...

Justin Richardson

How does bedrock influence Critical Zone depth?

Many of us are content with considering the cement and asphalt that blanket our sidewalks and roadways as solid earth, our terra firma. However, the...

Justin Richardson

What is happening to coastal groundwater?

What is happening to coastal groundwater? By: Xuan Yu and Justin Richardson As a Delawarean, it is nearly tradition for friends and colleagues...

How do people manage carbon in soil?

Climate change. These two words illicit many feelings. Those in low lying areas dotted around the world’s oceans fear future sea level rising....

Justin Richardson

What is the Calhoun Critical Zone Observatory?

An illlustrated introduction to the Calhoun Critical Zone Observatory! By Justin Richardson and Dan Richter. Illustrated by Alana McGillis...

Justin Richardson

What is leaching?

Water does work. It physically wears down towering mountains to stumpy hills through erosion. The movement of water provides a constant flow that...

Justin Richardson

Why should anyone care about feldspars?

Natural faces and cut-polished facets of illustrious minerals shine with captivating opulence. These are commonly the minerals humans have touted as...

Justin Richardson

Opening up to your readers – sharing data wealth to make better science

Why model and with what data? It has been stated that the pen is mightier than the sword. This adage has proven true for centuries as we moved from...

How does fire change a forest?

Article by Nicholas Dove (Southern Sierra CZO) and Justin Richardson (National Office) There is an idiom that states someone too involved in the...

Nicholas Dove

Where do trees get their water?

Maintaining moisture is a daily challenge for plants that live on land. Unlike animals, plants do not have the capability to run to the nearest...

Justin Richardson

How deep can water enter bedrock?

Bedrock is an unsung hero; it provides essential support for buildings and roads and produces gorgeous landscape features, like mountains and...

Justin Richardson

Salmonids in Northern California Rivers, to be or not to be?

Although not as fuzzy as the now extinct California Grizzly bear (Ursus arctos californicus), salmonids (fish of the salmonidae family like salmon...

Justin Richardson

Why do soils look so different?

To celebrate the Food and Agriculture Organization’s 2015 International Year of Soils, we are going to explore the question: why do soils look...

Justin Richardson

Welcome to a new adventure

Welcome to Adventures in the Critical Zone! The goal of this blog is to share what researchers at the Critical Zone Observatories (CZO) and...

Justin Richardson