scholarly journals Linking Critical Zone Water Storage and Ecosystems

Eos ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 101 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roger Bales ◽  
William Dietrich
Keyword(s):  
Water Storage ◽  
Critical Zone ◽  
River Ecosystems ◽  
Zone Control ◽  
Moisture Storage ◽  
Storage Potential ◽  
Zone Water ◽  
Earth’S Critical Zone

The geology and the structure of Earth’s critical zone control subsurface moisture storage potential and determine the resilience of forest and river ecosystems to drought.

scholarly journals Geophysical constraints on deep weathering and water storage potential in the Southern Sierra Critical Zone Observatory

2014 ◽  
Vol 39 (3) ◽  
pp. 366-380 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. Steven Holbrook ◽  
Clifford S. Riebe ◽  
Mehrez Elwaseif ◽  
Jorden L. Hayes ◽  
Kyle Basler-Reeder ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Water Storage ◽  
Critical Zone ◽  
Critical Zone Observatory ◽  
Storage Potential

Shattered crust: how brittle deformation enables Critical Zone processes beneath southern Africa

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. Dhansay
Keyword(s):  
Water Movement ◽  
Critical Zone ◽  
Upper Crust ◽  
Water Drainage ◽  
Structural Mapping ◽  
Groundwater Aquifers ◽  
Igneous Provinces ◽  
Tectonic Zones ◽  
Further Development ◽  
Earth’S Critical Zone

Abstract The delicate interplay of various Earth’s systems processes in the Critical Zone is vital in ensuring an equilibrium across the different spheres of life. The upper crust forms a thin veneer on the Earth’s surface that is defined by an interconnected network of brittle structures. These brittle structures enable various Earth System processes. Increased anthropogenic interactions within the very upper crust have seemingly resulted in a growing number of negative natural effects, including induced seismicity, mine water drainage and land degradation. Brittle structures across South Africa are investigated. These structures include various fractures and dykes of different ages and geodynamic evolutions. The orientation of these structures is compared to the underlying tectonic domains and their bounding suture zones. The orientations corroborate an apparent link between the formation of the brittle structures and the tectonic evolution of the southern African crust. Reactivation and the creation of new structures are also apparent. These are linked to the variability of the surrounding stress field and are shown to have promoted magmatism, e.g., Large Igneous Provinces, and the movement of hydrothermal fluids. These fluids were commonly responsible for the formation of important mineral deposits. The preferred structural orientations and their relationship to underlying tectonic zones are also linked to fractured groundwater aquifers. Subsurface groundwater displays a link to structural orientations. This comparison is extended to surficial water movement. Surface water movement also highlights an apparent link to brittle structures. The apparent correlation between these Earth’s systems processes and the interconnectivity developed by brittle structures are clear. This highlights the importance of high-resolution geological and structural mapping and linking this to further development of the Earth’s Critical Zone.

scholarly journals Large hydropower and water-storage potential in future glacier-free basins

Nature ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 575 (7782) ◽  
pp. 341-344 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Farinotti ◽  
Vanessa Round ◽  
Matthias Huss ◽  
Loris Compagno ◽  
Harry Zekollari
Keyword(s):  
Water Storage ◽  
Storage Potential

scholarly journals WAYS v1: a hydrological model for root zone water storage simulation on a global scale

2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (12) ◽  
pp. 5267-5289 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ganquan Mao ◽  
Junguo Liu
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Heterogeneity ◽  
Soil Water ◽  
Regional Differences ◽  
Hydrological Model ◽  
Root Zone ◽  
Water Storage ◽  
Global Scale ◽  
Distribution Model ◽  
Lumped Model ◽  
Zone Water

Abstract. The soil water stored in the root zone is a critical variable for many applications, as it plays a key role in several hydrological and atmospheric processes. Many studies have been conducted to obtain reliable information on soil water in the root zone layer. However, most of them are mainly focused on the soil moisture within a certain depth rather than the water stored in the entire rooting system. In this work, a hydrological model named the Water And ecosYstem Simulator (WAYS) is developed to simulate the root zone water storage (RZWS) on a global scale. The model is based on a well-validated lumped model and has now been extended to a distribution model. To reflect the natural spatial heterogeneity of the plant rooting system across the world, a key variable that influences RZWS, i.e., root zone storage capacity (RZSC), is integrated into the model. The newly developed model is first evaluated based on runoff and RZWS simulations across 10 major basins. The results show the ability of the model to mimic RZWS dynamics in most of the regions through comparison with proxy data, the normalized difference infrared index (NDII). The model is further evaluated against station observations, including flux tower and gauge data. Despite regional differences, generally good performance is found for both the evaporation and discharge simulations. Compared to existing hydrological models, WAYS's ability to resolve the field-scale spatial heterogeneity of RZSC and simulate RZWS may offer benefits for many applications, e.g., agriculture and land–vegetation–climate interaction investigations. However, the results from this study suggest an additional evaluation of RZWS is required for the regions where the NDII might not be the correct proxy.

The Earth’s Critical Zone Science and its Research Progress

2013 ◽  
Vol 295-298 ◽  
pp. 2138-2142
Author(s):  
Wei Hua Zhang ◽  
Yan Yang ◽  
Jun Ying Jin
Keyword(s):  
Critical Zone ◽  
Research Progress ◽  
Biological Processes ◽  
Climatic Anthropogenic ◽  
Interdisciplinary Concept ◽  
Earth’S Critical Zone ◽  
Tectonic Forcing

A promising and involving interdisciplinary concept-the earth’s critical zone science is introduced in this paper. Within the earth’s Critical Zone, the coupled chemical, physical and biological processes which define Earth’s weathering engine are driven by climatic, anthropogenic, and tectonic forcing. Followed by the concept and specific questions related to the critical zone were given. Finally, current research in order to understand the Critical zone was reviewed.

scholarly journals A New Focus on the Neglected Carbonate Critical Zone

Eos ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 102 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonathan Martin ◽  
Paloma De Grammont ◽  
Matthew Covington ◽  
Laura Toran
Keyword(s):  
Critical Zone ◽  
Earth’S Critical Zone

Studies of Earth’s critical zone have largely focused on areas underlain by silicate bedrock, leaving gaps in our understanding of widespread and vital carbonate-dominated landscapes.

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