Dear Friends of Water Science,

In fewer than 20 years, since the National Research Council [NRC, 2001] first identified research in the Critical Zone (CZ) as an area “ripe for major breakthroughs, CZ science has grown rapidly. A new generation of CZ scientists has been trained and international collaborations have been developed through the Critical Zone Exploration Network, which has about 1,700 members representing sites on all Earth’s continents. New insights on, for example, the role of water in weathering in different environments [Maher and Navarre-Sitchler,  2019] and on the relative relation of chemical and physical weathering processes in the CZ [Holbrook, et al., 2019] have been developed, altering our understanding of land management, for example [Montanarella and Panagos, 2015]. The next phase of NSF’s Critical Zone research program offers the opportunity to expand studies to new environments, test new hypotheses [e.g. Brantley et al., 2017], and to grow the next generation of CZ scientists [Wymore et al., 2017]. 

CUAHSI currently is hosting a cyberseminar series intended to develop an inclusive network of CZ scientists. This cyberseminar series is part of a project on expanding knowledge of the CZ by connecting data to models through a research collaborative network (RCN). The first cyberseminar was held on February 5 and had almost 100 attendees; the seminar can be viewed here. Additional cyberseminars in this series will be held February 12, 19, and 26 at 1:00 p.m. EST. Pre-registration is required.

CUAHSI recently consolidated the U.S. CZO network metadata and selected data into a single resource in HydroShare. The data can be discovered by typing in “CZO’ in the search field on the HydroShare Discover page, which returns 4,355 results. A more granular search can be done from the Collaborate page, and selecting Communities, from which specific CZOs can be identified and searched. An example of metadata that links to external data is here. This resource describes GIS coverages and map data collected through the Luquillo CZO. Flux tower data from the Calhoun CZO, as are most of the CZO hydro-meteorological data, are stored directly in HydroShare. This new data resource should facilitate reuse of the extremely valuable CZO data for a variety of applications.

Communities are a new feature of HydroShare created specifically for CZOs, but applicable to a wide range of other uses. A research team may, for example, form a Group around a specific topic, i.e. a single CZO. Communities, e.g., the entire set of CZOs, then allow groups to share information seamlessly across groups, with access controlled within each group and across the entire Community. HydroShare currently hosts more than 80 Groups; CZOs currently are the only community, but we expect this to grow as users develop new ways to utilize this unique capability of HydroShare.

All the best,
Jerad

CUAHSI is hiring!
 

CUAHSI is looking for a postdoctoral research associate in flood resilience!

Requirements for the positions include a Ph.D. in a field of study relevant to flooding, the ability to take initiative and work independently, and an interest in contributing to a dialogue across disciplinary boundaries. Applicants should submit a research proposal based on the guidelines found here, including identification of a proposed faculty mentor. Proposals will be judged on scientific merit, an achievable research plan, and the degree to which the research contributes the Flood Apex program and goals of the Summer Institute. Letters of support will be requested from proposed mentors, so applicants will benefit from contacting proposed mentors early in the process.  Applicants must be U.S. citizens.

 

Ready to apply? Application instructions and details can be found here. 

Questions? Please contact Jerad Bales at jdbales@cuahsi.org. 

 

 

 

In May of 2018, PI Anne Jefferson and co-PI's, Dave Costello, V. Kelly Turner, and Aditi Bhaskar were awarded the NSF-CBET-Environmental Sustainability Grant, "Collaborative Research: Connecting local stormwater decision-making to environmental outcomes." The project is called, "STORMS, for STream Outcomes Resulting from Management of Stormwater." 

CUAHSI's services will be used to help meet NSF Data Management Plan requirements. Once data collection is complete, data will be archived on HydroShare. 

Read more about the STORMS for STream Outcomes Resulting from Management of Stormwater, here!

Have you cited or intend to use any of CUAHSI's services or programs in your research or publications? We love hearing from you! Let us know by completing this form.