RESEARCH
Do not fill out this information.
On this particular page, the Initial Text and Image fields for this template are not used (inactive). A Carousel Slideshow is displayed instead.
To edit the Carousel Slideshow, Choose Edit Existing > Carousel Slides. Then navigate to your CZO's entry entitled "Research"
Current Research: Our interdisciplinary team works collaboratively at the Susquehanna-Shale Hills CZO to advance methods for characterizing regolith, to provide a theoretical basis for predicting the distribution, properties and evolution of regolith, and to theoretically and experimentally study the impacts of regolith on fluid pathways, flow rates, solute residence times, and response to climate change.
Climate and Hydrometeorology: This research focuses on investigation of explicit coupling and feedback for subsurface-landsurface-atmosphere interaction using fully coupled models over meteorologic and climatic time scales. A long history of hydrologic research at the site has stimulated reanalysis research to reprocess and assimilate observational data collected during experimental campaigns conducted over a 40+ year span, into an integrated watershed reanalysis product.
Weathering: Weathering fronts, mineral transformation reactions, and long-term physical-chemical weathering fluxes are elucidating the important physical, biological and hydrogeochemical processes that operate within this shale dominated catchment.
Shale Hills CZO sampling locations
Hydropedology: Using a suite of non-invasive imaging techniques (X-ray tomography, ground penetrating radar, and electromagnetic induction) in combination with real-time soil monitoring we are able to detect and model subsurface flow networks and their dynamics.
Ecological Research: In this study patterns of tree water use and water availability across the watershed influence trees at the physiological, community and evolutionary time scales; and how a temperate forest affects water, energy and weathering rates.
Stable Isotope Hydrology: The stable isotope network takes a comprehensive approach to determine space-time signatures in all stores of the watershed and to elucidate fluid pathways and time scales from source to sink.
Watershed Modeling: The stable isotope network is also being used to evaluate the “age” and residence times of stable isotopes at Shale Hills as part of an integrated hydrodynamic model for water, solutes and sediments. The Penn State Integrated Hydrologic Model for water and energy budgets has been implemented at Shale Hills and the sediment transport and solute transport are in final stages of completion. A landscape evolution model is planned for implementation in year 5.
Soil Biogeochemistry: This research focuses on quantification of soil respiration rates and investigation of how water movement/storage and soil texture lead to variability in soil-atmosphere CO2 exchange.
Geomorphology: Sediment erosion, transport, and deposition are being incorporated into the Penn State Integrated Hydrologic Model. Efforts include development of a hillslope sediment flux model that incorporates tree-throw and freeze-thaw creep.
Hydrogeophysics: In field-scale and lab-scale tracer tests both soils and shale material show preferential pathways that may be indicative of dual-domain solute transport behavior.
Shale Hills CZO sampling locations
Research News
FEATURED NATIONALLY
NSF Blog: No soils, no life
27 Oct 2020 - They’re beneath our feet, but we seldom hear important signals in the soils
FEATURED NATIONALLY
2020 CZO Webinar Series on Sustainability
17 Jun 2020 - For an updated listing of these talks, including abstracts, see /national/education-outreach/sustainability-2020/ The U.S....
FEATURED
CZOs at AGU 2019
19 Nov 2019 - A list of CZ-related sessions, abstracts and events at the 2019 AGU Fall Meeting.
FEATURED
CZ colleagues: Please contact us about proposals for NSF’s CZ Collaborative Network, due 02 Dec 2019
08 Jul 2019 - CZO will end Nov 2020, succeeded by the “CZ Collaborative Network”. Let’s explore how the CZ community can build upon the CZOs via new NSF proposals.
FEATURED
Graduate Student Critical Zone Reading Group Wraps the Semester with a Field Trip to Calhoun CZO
12 Jun 2019 - Five students travelled to Union, South Carolina for a two-day site visit June 6 – June 8 at the Calhoun CZO. This site visit was the...
FEATURED
CZOs at AGU 2018
19 Nov 2018 - The 2018 AGU Fall Meeting will be held December 10-14 in Washington, D.C.
FEATURED
NSF Discovery articles focus on the CZOs.
10 May 2018 - The Discoveries section of the National Science Foundation's website on Critical Zone Observatories (CZOs).
Two week field experience kick-off for the 2019 GeoPATHs cohort
18 May 2019 - Fifteen undergraduates from seven regional institutions arrived at University Park, along with graduate student mentors and faculty experts, to...
2019 SSHCZO All-Hands Meeting at Penn State
10 May 2019 - The 2019 All-Hands Meeting brought together our core team, our off-campus collaborators, and our outreach partners at Shaver's Creek in a new...
TeenShale evaluates Wallace Run near abandoned well using macroinvertebrate surveys
07 May 2019 - On a warm and sunny day in May, the 2018-2019 cohort took to the field! Along with Centre County Pennsylvania Senior Environmental Corp member...
Geophysics of the critical zone - geoscience majors focus thesis projects this year
24 Apr 2019 - From characterising flow pathways in outcrops and the shallow subsurface to examining weathering processes and soil formation, three geoscience...
GEOPATHS: A Near Surface Geophysics Field Experience
29 Jan 2019 - Are you interested in a career with a social impact? Do you have an interest in Earth & Environmental Sciences? Apply for...
Example Publications
FEATURED
Ecological and genomic attributes of novel bacterial taxa that thrive in subsurface soil horizons. Brewer, Tess E., Emma L. Aronson, Keshav Arogyaswamy, Sharon A. Billings, Jon K. Botthoff, Ashley N. Campbell, Nicholas C. Dove, Dawson Fairbanks, Rachel E. Gallery, Stephen C. Hart, Jason Kaye, Gary King, Geoffrey Logan, Kathleen A. Lohse, Mia R. Maltz, Emilio Mayorga, Caitlin O’Neill, Sarah M. Owens, Aaron Packman, Jennifer Pett-Ridge, Alain F. Plante, Daniel D. Richter, Whendee L. Silver, Wendy H. Yang, Noah Fierer (2019): mBio Oct 2019, 10 (5) e01318-19 Cross-CZO National
FEATURED
Mercury sourcing and sequestration in weathering profiles at six Critical Zone Observatories. Richardson, Justin B., Arnulfo A. Aguirre, Heather L. Buss, A. Toby O'Geen, Xin Gu, Daniella M. Rempe, and Daniel deB. Richter (2018): Global Biogeochemical Cycles, 32(10):1542-1555 Cross-CZO National
FEATURED
Ideas and perspectives: Strengthening the biogeosciences in environmental research networks. Richter, D.D., S.A. Billings, P.M. Groffman, E.F. Kelly, K.A. Lohse, W.H. McDowell, T.S. White, S. Anderson, D.D. Baldocchi, S. Banwart, S. Brantley, J.J. Braun, Z.S. Brecheisen, C.W. Cook, H.E. Hartnett, S.E. Hobbie, J. Gaillardet, E. Jobbagy, H.F. Jungkunst, C.E. Kazanski, J. Krishnaswamy, D. Markewitz, K. O’Neill, C.S. Riebe, P. Schroeder, C. Siebe, W.L. Silver, A. Thompson, A. Verhoef, G. Zhang (2018): Biogeosciences 15: 4815-4832 Cross-CZO National
FEATURED
Susquehanna Shale Hills Critical Zone Observatory: Shale Hills in the Context of Shaver's Creek Watershed. Brantley Susan, White Timothy, West Nicole, Williams Jennifer, Forsythe Brandon, Shapich Dan, Kaye Jason, Lin Hangsheng (Henry), Shi Yuning, Kaye Margot, Herndon Elizabeth, Davis Kenneth, He Yuting, Eissenstat David, Weitzman Julie, DiBiase Roman, Li Li, Reed Warren, Brubaker Kristen, Gu Xin (2018): Vadose Zone Journal, 17:180092
FEATURED
The Effect of Lithology and Agriculture at the Susquehanna Shale Hills Critical Zone Observatory. Li Li, DiBiase Roman A., Del Vecchio Joanmarie, Marcon Virginia, Hoagland Beth, Xiao Dacheng, Wayman Callum, Tang Qicheng, He Yuting, Silverhart Perri, Szink Ismaiel, Forsythe Brandon, Williams Jennifer Z., Shapich Dan, Mount Gregory J., Kaye Jason, Guo Li, Lin Henry, Eissenstat David, Dere Ashlee, Brubaker Kristen, Kaye Margot, Davis Kenneth J., Russo Tess A., Brantley Susan L. (2018): Vadose Zone Journal, 17:180063
Full-3D Seismic Tomography for Structure of the Critical Zone. WANG W., CHEN P., LEE EJ., MU D. (2019): Chapter in Earthquake and Disaster Risk: Decade Retrospective of the Wenchuan Earthquake, 1st Ed. Y.G. Lee (Ed.) Higher Education Press & Springer Nature Singapore
Observing and Simulating Spatial Variations of Forest Carbon Stocks in Complex Terrain. He, Yuting, Kenneth Davis, Yuning Shi, Dave Eissenstat, Jason Kaye, Margot Kaye (2019): Journal of Geophysical Research: Biogeosciences (submitted)
Reply to the comment on “Particle fluxes in groundwater change subsurface shale rock chemistry over geologic time”. Kim, H., Gu, X., and Brantley, S.L. (2019): Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 514:169–171
What Controls Above- and Belowground Partitioning Patterns in Temperate Forests?. Orr, A., T.S. Adams, K. Naithani, M. McCormack, J. Kaye, D. Baldwin, Y. Shi and D.M. Eissenstat (2019): Functional Ecology, submitted
Developing boron isotopes to elucidate shale weathering in the critical zone. Noireaux, Johanna, Pamela Sullivan*, Jérôme Gaillardet, Pascale Louvat, Grit Steinhoefel, Susan L. Brantley (2019): Chemical Geology, submitted
Lithology differentially shifts root distribution of co-occurring tree species. Szink, Ismaiel, Hasenmueller, Elizabeth A., Orr, Alexandra S., Adams, Thomas S., Long, Robert S., Eissenstat, David M. (2019): Ecology (submitted)
Hillslope hydrology in global change research and Earth system modeling. Fan, Y., Clark, M., Lawrence, D. M., Swenson, S., Band, L. E., Brantley, S. L., P. D. Brooks, W. E. Dietrich, A. Flores, G. Grant, J. W. Kirchner, D. S. Mackay, J. J. McDonnell, P. C. D. Milly, P. L. Sullivan, C. Tague, H. Ajami, N. Chaney, A. Hartmann, P. Hazenberg, J. McNamara, J. Pelletier, J. Perket, E. Rouholahnejad‐Freund, T. Wagener, X. Zeng, E. Beighley, J. Buzan, M. Huang, B. Livneh, B. P. Mohanty, B. Nijssen, M. Safeeq, C. Shen, W. van Verseveld, J. Volk, D. Yamazaki (2019): Water Resources Research, vol 55 Cross-CZO
Explore Further
