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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.
List of contents
1. The Creation of the Critical Zone Observatory Network and its Philosophy2. The Critical Zone Program and Centers3. Land-Atmosphere Interaction in the Critical Zone4. Regolith and Weathering in the Critical Zone5. Soil Morphology in the Critical Zone6. Soil Geochemistry in the Critical Zone7. Terrestrial Landscape Ecology in the Critical Zone8. Ecohydrology in the Critical Zone9. Rivers in the Critical Zone10. Characteristic and Role of Groundwater in the Critical Zone11. Mass Movement Processes and Risk in the Critical Zone12. Glacial Landscapes in the Critical Zone13. Periglacial Landscapes in the Critical Zone14. Arid Landscapes in the Critical Zone15. Tropical Environments in the Critical Zone16. Coastal Landscapes in the Critical Zone17. Remote Sensing of Process Domains in the Critical Zone18. The Built Environment in the Critical Zone19. Natural and Anthropogenic Factors Affecting Groundwater in the Critical Zone20. A Summary and Future Direction of the Principles and Dynamics of the Critical Zone
About the author
Dr. John R. (Rick) Giardino is a process geomorphologist whose research is focused on mass movement and fluvial activity in periglacial environments. He studies rock glaciers, landslides and mountain streams from a system perspective focusing on the transport of mass and energy through these landform systems. Dr. Giardino is Professor in the Geology and Geophysics Department and the Water Management and Hydrological Sciences Graduate Program. He is currently Head of Geology and Geophysics, and he was the former Dean of Graduate Studies at Texas A&M University. Dr. Chris Houser is a process geomorphologist with a focus on coastal and aeolian environments and an interest in the response and recovery of barrier islands to relative sea level rise and changes in the frequency and magnitude of storm events. An important component of his research is the exchange of sediment amongst the nearshore, beach and dune in the development of coastal dunes, which ultimately controls the development of the critical zone in coastal barrier environments. Dr. Houser is also the Director for the Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) Site: Ecohydrology of a Tropical Montane Cloud Forest (http://costaricareu.tamu.edu/), which allows undergraduate students to characterize the hydrology of a small tropical watershed using a systems approach. Dr. Houser is currently an Associate Professor in the Departments of Geography and Geology & Geophysics at Texas A&M University and serves as the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and Faculty Development.
