Advances and Opportunities in Global Critical Zone Observatory Research

Steve BanwartThe University of Sheffield

WUN Adapting to Climate Change 3

Earth’s Critical Zone

“Real progress will required problem focused, multidisciplinary field work in natural observatories where detailed, long-term observations can be made using a variety of disciplinary tools.” (US National Academy of Science Report, BROES, 2001)

The approach to observation is motivated by:

• hypothesis testing, • process understanding across temporal and spatial scales• mathematical model development, • Utilising multiple sensor and sampling methods,• Often high-density instrument arrays,• Time series/real time measurements of coupled process dynamics, • Combining large data sets with numerical simulation

Critical Zone Observatory Program

Process Dynamics AcrossSpatial and Temporal Scales

Soil profile

Molecular

Watershed

Basin

Grain

CZOs are magnets for multidisciplinary research

• Soil Science• Geomorphology• Hydrology• Ecology• Molecular Biology• Microbiology• Geochemistry• Economics• Management Science• Engineering• Human Geography• … and many others

Critical Zone Architecture

Critical Zone ServicesThe Chain of Impact

Food and fibre production

Carbon Storage Nutrient Transformation

Filtering Water

Biological HabitatGene Pool

Parent Material – forming soil

Baseflow to rivers

Attenuating contaminantsStoring and transmitting water

Storing and transmitting heatRepository for hazardous wastesPhysical scaffold for landscapes

GHGs and Climate Regulation

Millenium Development Goals

Soil Ecosystem Services are central to meeting United Nations Millenium Development Goals

• To end poverty and hunger• To ensure environmental sustainability

– Integrate sustainability into country policy and programmes(EC Thematic Strategy for Soil Protection)

– Significantly reduce the rate of biodiversity loss– Increase access to basic drinking water and sanitation– Significant improvement in lives of slum dwellers

• Global soils are under threat

The Perfect StormIn March 2010, the UK Chief Scientist stated that humanity faced a perfect storm

of converging challenges within the next 40 years.• Increase in population to over 9.3 billion by 2050• Doubling in demand for food and for fuel• More than 50% increase in demand for clean water• … all while mitigating and adapting to the impacts of global climate change.

During recent months several of these projections have been updated.• Quadrupling in global economy by 2050• Human population is expected to reach 9.7 billion by 2050• Greenhouse gas levels for N2O and CH4 have just exceeded previous records

• CO2 levels are increasing faster at the moment than in previous years• Agricultural yields are projected to decrease overall due to insufficient water• Demand for productive land will outstrip global capacity by 10-45% by 2050… The Storm is growing in intensity

Critical Zone Observatories are international focal points for basic science, testbeds for interdisciplinary solutions, and incubators for commercial innovation.

Research challenges:• Hindcasting to understand change• Forecasting to find solutions• International integration to match the urgency

Nature

Nature, 474, 151-152, 9 June, 2011

International CZO NetworksDeveloping International CZO programme• EC SoilTrEC project• French Network of River Basins• German TERENO CZO network and new AQUADIVA CZO project• 30+ sites of the China Terestrial Ecology Research Network• 89 scientists from 25 countries representing ~60 field sites for Critical Zone Research

Collaboration:• Shared sites and data• Numerical simulation approaches• PhD and post-doc training

Shared experimental design to tackle the science questions • Networks of CZOs along global environmental gradients• Study sensitivity of CZ architecture and function to drivers of change• Expand interdisciplinarity, recruit new expertise, broaden geographical footprint

along gradients

International CZO Research Agenda

Available as download from

www.czen.org

Global Experimental Design

CZO Networks along gradients of climate

Map from World Climate. http://www.climate-charts.com/index.html

Anderson et al. (2012). Sustaining Earth’s Critical Zone. Report of the International CZO Workshop, 9-11 November, 2011, U. Delaware. Available from www.soiltrec.eu

Global Experimental Design

CZO Networks along gradients of land use

Map from: UN Food and Agriculture Organisation, Land Degradation Assessment in DrylandsAnderson et al. (2012). Sustaining Earth’s Critical Zone. Report of the International CZO Workshop, 9-11 November, 2011, U. Delaware. Available from www.soiltrec.eu

International Environmental PolicyUnited Nations Environment Programme

The 2012 Year Book presents the most important events and developments from the year, gives a picture of the status of key environmental indicators, and also highlights two emerging issues in detail: the benefits of soil carbon and the decommissioning of nuclear power plants.

UNEP Yearbook 2012

Convene 40 leading international expertsSynthesis of evidence for international science-policy interface5-day workshop held in March 2013Cross-cutting synthesis and policy briefs

Climate changeFood securityWater resourcesBiomass productionHuman wellbeing

31 Chapter volume, 77 authors worldwide

www.soilcarbon.org.uk

Faculty of Science Soil Science

Asst/Prof Matthias Leopold, Assoc/Prof Deirdre Gleeson, Asst/Prof Gavan McGrath

matthias.leopold@uwa.edu.au

The ‘Critical Zone Concept’ in the southern Hemisphere – an international workshop

Thurs 10 - Sat 12th of April 2014

Winthrop Hall at UWA View from UWA campus towards Perth

April

10-12th

2014

Perth

2014年“国际关键带科学前沿”工作会议Frontiers in International Critical Zone

Science 2014

May 21-24, 2014， Beijing， China

Actions to complete by end of 2014• International Strategy Group established by funders• Initial working group meeting on data standards and sharing• Framework for a jointly-funded international CZO programme• Road map for first joint calls in 2015• Strategic platform for a long-term intergovernmental programme