THE CRITICAL ZONE EXPLORATION NETWORK: YOUR GROWING COMMUNITY

At Earth’s surface, a complex suite of chemical, biological, and physical processes combines to produce soil from bedrock and sediments within the zone that extends from the outer limits of vegetation to the lower limits of groundwater. This weathering engine transforms primary minerals, provides nutrients to nourish ecosystems and human society, mediates the transport of toxic components within the biosphere, creates water flow paths that shape and weaken bedrock, and contributes to the evolution of landscapes at all temporal and spatial scales. At the longest time scales, the weathering engine sequesters CO2, thereby influencing the global carbon cycle, long-term climate change, and weathering rates. This Critical Zone supports all life on Earth. - http://www.czen.org/node/254

The Critical Zone Exploration Network (CZEN, http://www.czen.org) is a network of people, locations, tools, and ideas to investigate processes within the Critical Zone. Any group studying the Critical Zone is encouraged to participate. The CZEN website already provides many communication tools like event scheduling, file upload, forums, list serves, and literature databases. A Fall 2007 data and information systems workshop is planned to discuss the ongoing collection and compilation of data for CZEN. - http://www.czen.org/node/215

Why join CZEN and create a group? - http://www.czen.org/node/242
Participation accomplishes four things;
1) brings Critical Zone Observatories (CZOs) into close cyber-proximity,
2) provides economy of scale in technology overhead,
3) makes web resources available to researchers from day one, and
4) allows CZOs the resources to build project specific web products as the web-based community-management system (CMS) is extendable and flexible.