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WE STUDY THE CRITICAL ZONE

Our nine U.S. Thematic Clusters study Earth’s outer skin - where water, atmosphere, ecosystems, soil & rock interact.

About CZNet

The Critical Zone Collaborative Network (CZNet) is the next phase of NSF’s Critical Zone research program, comprised of nine Thematic Clusters with a wide range of geological, climatic, and land use settings that provide an opportunity to better understand the critical zone.

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What is the Critical Zone

The Critical Zone is Earth's outer skin, but often defined from bedrock to treetop. This is an environment where rock, soil, water, air, and living organisms interact and shape the Earth's surface.

Our Thematic Clusters

CZNET COORDINATING HUB

Enabling, Supporting, and Communicating Critical Zone Science

BEDROCK

Expanding knowledge of the deep critical zone and its feedbacks with surface processes.

BIG DATA

Using field observations, existing data, & advanced statistical and process-based tools to investigate how the Critical Zone responds to disturbances.

CINET

Investigating the role of critical interfaces for regulating the storage & transport of material such as water, sediment, carbon, & nutrients.

COASTAL

Investigating the processes that transform landscapes and fluxes between land and sea.

DRYLANDS

Quantifying and predicting dryland carbon budgets across land-use and climatic gradients.

DUST^ 2

A source-to-sink investigation of the dust system in the southwestern US as a component of the critical zone.

DYNAMIC WATER

Advancing the understanding of the interactions among dynamic water storage, CZ processes, and water provisioning in western U.S. montane ecosystems.

GEOMICRO

Studying how soil microbes, roots, mineral composition, and soil organic matter interact and drive Critical Zone biogeochemistry and soil formation.

URBAN

Studying the interaction between the geologic template and the urban footprint and the effects on critical zone processes along the Eastern Seaboard.

2025 CZNet All Hands Meeting: Dates Announced!

We are pleased to announce that the 2025 All Hands Meeting will take place August 6-7, 2025 at the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory in Palisades, New York. Registration, agenda, and event information will be available soon.

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Research Opportunity for Undergraduates

CZNet NSF-funded REU Program

Program runs between May - August

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The Critical Zone Collaborative Network builds upon the outcomes of the Critical Zone Observatories project.

The Critical Zone Observatories (CZO) project was started in 2007 and consisted of nine observatories. The CZO website has been archived for reference.

View the Archived Critical Zone Observatories Website