Collaborative Research: Network Hub: Enabling, Supporting, and Communicating Critical Zone Research.

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ABSTRACTThe Critical Zone is loosely defined as the region of Earth from the top of the bedrock to the top of the treetops. This is the region that supports all terrestrial life and is constantly evolving as rock, soil, water, air, and living organisms interact to regulate the Earth’s environment. This project will establish the coordinating hub of the Critical-Zone Collaborative Network, which is designed to continue the research advances in the science of the Critical Zone that NSF has supported for the past decade. The Network Coordinating Hub will provide cyberinfrastructure, data management, and community services to support the Critical Zone Thematic Clusters, which are research collaboratiions pursuing new and practical knowledge concerning the functions of the Earth’s surface systems.The Network Coordinating Hub will: (1) enhance and integrate existing data services operated by the Consortium of Universities for the Advancement of Hydrologic Science, Inc. (CUAHSI) and EarthChem to support the Critical-Zone science community; (2) support scientific discovery through community synthesis activities and via access to community data and modeling cyberinfrastructure; (3) broaden the Critical-Zone community and the impact of Critical-Zone science through outreach and education activities; and (4) enhance collaboration among the Critical Zone Thematic Clusters through coordination, sharing, and community events.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.