In The News

07/02/09 --College of Earth, Ocean, and Environment results from realignment

07/01/09 --UD receives grant to investigate munitions constituents in soils

06/30/09 --EPSCoR annual meeting addresses environmental challenges

06/30/09 --CEOE researchers explore life deep below the ocean surface

06/04/09 --Changing climate may make 'super weed' even more powerful

05/14/09 --Trustees approve officers and building, hear reports

03/17/09 --Federal appropriations include $2.3 million for UD projects

03/13/09 --Survey gives DataMIL Web site new look, features

03/10/09 --UD featured in Arctic research publication

03/10/09 --Energy policy expert authors 'Corporate Greenhouse'

03/05/09 --Rabolt wins major spectroscopy award

03/05/09 --EPSCoR seed grants awarded to environmental researchers

02/19/09 --Barteau wins catalysis award

02/06/09 --Genetic adaptations are key to microbe's survival in challenging environment

02/06/09 --Report shows progress in Christina River Basin

01/22/09 --Environmental Sensors Workshop unites geoscientists

01/21/09 --'Discover' names seaweed research among top 100 stories

01/14/09 --Farmers grow new ideas at Delaware Agriculture Week

01/12/09 --University's new airship to be shown Jan. 14

01/05/09 --UD faculty to speak at conference on nutrient management, bays

12/16/08 --UD's Michael studies coastal groundwater, climate change

12/05/08 --Johnston wins award for aerosol research

12/05/08 --Delaware basin 'showing improvement, but still needs work'

11/24/08 --Prof. Yoo studies earthworms' role in forest sustainability

11/24/08 --DGS reports on hydrogeology of southern New Castle County

11/24/08 --Center for Critical Zone Research welcomes first four graduate student fellows

11/20/08 --Students dial up deep-sea adventure

11/20/08 --Scientists describe unique relationship between vent worm, bacteria

11/19/08 --Land-grant collaboration results in Delaware Basin report

11/19/08 --Symposium looks at carbon sequestration on farms, forests

11/18/08 --National Science Foundation gives UD grant

11/17/08 --Maynard discusses perceptions of nanotechnology research, risk

11/13/08 --NSF awards UD, partners $15 million for environmental research, education

11/11/08 --UD researchers show that plants can accumulate nanoparticles in tissues

11/10/08 --Plant disease study may extend to helping crops

11/07/08 --Delaware Receives EPSCoR Funding - From WHYY's "Delaware Tonight"
(Requires Real Player)

11/04/08 --Yan Jin named Soil Science Society of America fellow

11/04/08 --For water, safe doesn't mean pure

10/30/08 --Corn researchers discover novel gene shut-off mechanisms

10/28/08 --UD wins $10.5 million grant for biomaterials research center

10/17/08 --The environment and science are fun at Coast Day

10/10/08 --Classrooms worldwide invited to 'dive in' to deep-sea expedition

09/23/08 --Using novel tool, UD researchers dig through cell 'trash' and find treasure

09/16/08 --NSF funds study of bacteria in open ocean environments

09/11/08 --Researcher studies how tiny ocean life-forms affect climate change

08/06/08 --DGS issues report on well water quality survey

08/06/08 --Smithsonian's 'Dig It' exhibit opens with help from UD soil scientists

07/10/08 --UD soil scientist helps earth scientists rediscover soils

07/01/08 --UD delegation builds partnerships with universities in China

06/27/08 --UD researchers featured on WAMU-FM in D.C.

06/26/08 --USDA funds UD study of sustainable watershed management in India

06/12/08 --UD receives NOAA funding to advance Mid-Atlantic ocean observing

05/06/08 --Donald Sparks elected Distinguished Geochemistry Fellow

04/22/08 --Scientist experiments with ancient farming technique that could cut greenhouse gas emissions

04/04/08 --UD nanomineral research featured in ’Science’

02/29/08 --Panel discusses global warming

11/27/07 --Prof’s new book focuses on critical role of native plants

11/07/07 --UD drinking-water technology named one of year’s top advances

11/07/07 --Researchers determine global health effects of ship emissions

11/05/07 --Panel sees partnerships as key to solving ecological problems

10/11/07 --UD plant biologists uncover top wetland invader’s hidden weapon

4/10/07 --Board to advise Delaware EPSCoR and Critical Zone Center

12/06 --A scientific mission of Critical importance

cczr diagram

The Critical Zone: Where the Action Is

Upon their return from orbit, astronauts have often remarked on their profound sense of the beauty, interconnectedness, and fragility of the planet Earth. From space, human boundaries disappear and the global sweep of natural forces becomes apparent, protected only by the thin blanket of the atmosphere.

Most of the life-sustaining processes on Earth — and, indeed, all living things — exist in a narrow band close to the surface of the planet. Scientists have named this near-surface environment "the Critical Zone." In 2001, the National Research Council defined the Critical Zone 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."

The Critical Zone includes the lower atmosphere, land surface, vegetation, and water bodies and extends down through layers of soil to the edge of groundwater penetration. The Critical Zone is the most heterogeneous portion of the Earth — it is where many dissimilar components meet and interact. The Critical Zone is characterized by interfaces: the air-water interface, for example, where gases and minerals are exchanged; or the root-soil interface, where microbes facilitate the exchange of nutrients.

An array of important physical, chemical, and biological processes and reactions occurs in the Critical Zone. Some processes are quick, while others take eons. Some processes are widespread, while others are localized. These processes impact the mass and energy exchange necessary for biomass production, chemical recycling, and water storage. They also control the transport and cycling of contaminants. They determine the health of the ecosystem and its inhabitants, including humans.

Getting a better grasp of the complexity of the Critical Zone has become a research priority for many scientists. The Center for Critical Zone Research at the University of Delaware brings together a highly interdisciplinary team of scientists and engineers to study the interfacial processes that take place in the Critical Zone.

Just like interfaces in the Critical Zone, the interface between different types of scientists is "where the action is" in terms of research. For example, by combining the expertise of a soil scientist, a microbiologist, and a materials engineer, we can devise new methods to study how certain bacteria in the soil react to the presence of a toxic metal such as arsenic. Perhaps this will lead to new ways of remediating contaminated soils, and in the long run, improve human health by reducing arsenic exposure.