Abstract

Ongoing research at the Calhoun Critical Zone Observatory (CCZO) in South Carolina seeks to integrate natural and human factors into our conceptions of Critical Zone (CZ) dynamics in the southern Piedmont. This line of inquiry is inherently interdisciplinary and place-based, creating a rich venue for the exploration of human-landscape interactions. This article describes an educational partnership that illustrates how the emerging science and environmental narrative of the CCZO has informed the teaching of coupled human-natural systems in an undergraduate Environmental Studies program. It also discusses how this Critical Zone perspective may be adapted for use in AP Environmental Science courses.

Citation

O'Neill, K., and Richter, D. (2016): Learning from the "deep changes in the land": The Critical Zone perspective in environmental science education. The Earth Scientist 32 (3): 25-27 .

This Paper/Book acknowledges NSF CZO grant support.