Past Events
International Workshop on Design of Global Environmental Gradient Experiments using International CZO Networks, 8-9 November, 2011, Delaware , USA.
This event was supported by the National Science Foundation (USA) and the European Commission for strengthening international collaboration and interaction on critical zone science.
The overarching goals of the workshop were to:
- Encourage international collaboration in developing the agenda, vision, and execution of the next five years of critical zone science.
- Promote core project proposals that seek to develop "satellite" NSF-funded CZO sites within the growing and emerging CZO network.
- Encourage core project proposals that will take advantage in novel ways of the emerging CZO infrastructure
- Promote cross-cutting research proposals that integrate the social sciences with the natural sciences in the global CZO network, something is prominent in the SoilTrEC program.
The workshop included a poster session. The intent of the poster session was to provide information on existing or potential study sites that could be included in an expanded network of CZOs.
Click here to dowload the program
Click here to watch footage from the workshop
Soil Aggregate Sampling, Marchfeld Sept 2011
Soil core data interpretation workshop (6-7 July, 2011), Vienna, Austria
This two-day workshop was organized at BOKU, Vienna to discuss and interpret the results from soil analysis. There were 22 participants including work package leaders, researchers and Ph.D. students. Various work package leaders and students presented their data, modelling results and future plans. Here are some key topics presented and discussed:
- Soil core characterization and physical properties
- Soil aggregate dynamics
- Conceptualizing modelling approaches
- Modelling carbon and nitrogen dynamics
- Soil aggregate dynamics
- 1D transport modelling
- Application of SWAT to Koiliaris CZO
- Numerical watershed simulation
- Installations of lysimeters
- Small plot experiments
The other topics discussed were: strategies for the integrated model development; modifying models by incorporating key processes; testing various models with CZO data; publication plans and ethics to be followed.
Training Events: Critical Zone Biogeochemistry; and International student symposium (1-2 June, 2011), Boulder, USA
The SoilTrEC team, in collaboration with Dr. S.Anderson (Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research University of Colorado), has organized a special session on Critical Zone Processes (CRP) as part of 9th International Symposium on Geochemistry of the Earth's Surface (GES-9). The session consisted of oral presentations by the academics/subject experts working in the CRP research. The symposium provided opportunity for SoilTrEC researchers to present their research work using posters and oral presentations (http://instaar.colorado.edu/GES-9/program.html for the program). As part of the symposium, optional field trips were organized to Boulder Creek Critical Zone Observatory (led by Dr. Suzanne Anderson) and to Rocky Mountain National Park (led by Dr. David Clow).
There were 27 Ph.D. students participated in this event and seven of them from SoilTrEC project. The presented papers are published in a special issue of Applied Geochemistry (volume 26), 2011.
See details here: http://instaar.colorado.edu/GES-9/
Training Event: Critical Zone process modelling (17-19 November 2010), Stresa, Italy
The main objective of the workshop was to provide modelling support on various Critical Zone processes by subject/modelling experts. This workshop started with the stakeholders meeting (17th Nov) to discuss key sustainability indicators for soils and then followed by two-day workshop (18-19th Nov) on modelling Critical Zone processes. The modelling workshop comprised of both theory and practice sessions on various models such as SWAT, PHIM,ROTHC, MAGIC, VSD, SUMO etc.
There were 45 participants (subject experts, academics, postdocs, PhD students and project managers) from various institutions attended the workshop.
Training Event: Critical Zone field methods (1-13 June, 2010), Pennstate University, USA
The aim of the program was to introduce participants (SoilTrEC postdoc and PhD students) to a variety of field skills as well as the conceptual framework for Critical Zone science, specifically drawing on research carried out at the Shale Hills CZO. The program was led by the Pennsylvania State University in collaboration with the SoilTrEC project. Participants of the workshop worked closely in the field daily with world-class geoscientists, engineers, soil scientists and ecologists at the Pennsylvania State University.
In the first week, activities included classroom sessions with presentations from various researchers active at SSHO and field studies where participants were able to understand geology, hydrology, ecology and soils of the region. GIS approaches to building environmental gradients for Critical Zone science was the major focus in the classroom sessions. In the second week, participants were trained to: drill and build a monitoring well, sample groundwater, measure depth to water table, soil augering, sampling and description, lysimeter installation and sampling, soil moisture/temperature probe and meteorological instrumentation deployment, and various surface water and plant studies.
This course was very successful as it provided essential training on field methods (sampling, data collection and interpretation) that are required for the critical zone research. In addition, participants were able to understand various ecosystem processes in the critical zones via lectures and field visits.
Soil Sampling (Summer 2010)
The SoilTrEC Team have recently completed sampling trips to three of the four SoilTrEC Critical Zone Observatories. These CZO sites represent different stages in the life cycle of soil, from soil formation to soil degradation.
Soil samples will be analysed to develop models that can describe the physical, geochemical and biological processes that account for the key soil functions. These process models can help us gain an understanding of the processes involved in aggregate formation and stability and the role of aggregate properties in soil functions from molecular to soil profile scale.
Sampling at Fuchsenbigl Critical Zone Observatory, Austria, 26th – 30th April 2010
Sampling at the Koiliaris Critical Zone Observatory, Crete, Greece, 10th – 13th May 2010
Pennsylvania State University Summer Field School, 1st – 13th June 2010
Sampling at Damma Glacier Critical Zone Observatory, Switzerland, July 2010
