Critical Zones & Soils Science

It takes 500 years to build up one inch of soil, according to the US Department of Agriculture. Yet we are losing this critical natural resource between 100 and 1000 times faster, through desertification, erosion, urban development and pollution.

Understanding the weathering processes which both form and erode soil is a central focus for the WUN Critical Zone & Soils Science Consortium.

The Critical Zone

The Critical Zone is the thin outer layer of the Earth which sustains life, from the vegetation canopy to the soil and groundwater – or ‘tree top to bedrock’ as it is sometimes known. Soil is a key element of the critical zone, yet little is understood about how it forms.

“We know quite a lot about soil erosion,” said Steve Banwart, Professor of Environmental Engineering Science at the University of Sheffield. “But we need to better understand soil formation if we want to find ways to manage or accelerate the process and even reverse some of the loss by reclaiming barren or contaminated land or improving agricultural productivity.”

The Critical Zones & Soils Science Consortium is a large collaborative project led by the University of Sheffield with scientists at the Universities of Leeds and Bristol. Through the WUN network, the experiment is able to make the move from lab into the field, initially in the Critical Zone observatory managed by Professor Brantley at PSU.

The observatory is one of six across the US funded through the National Science Foundation with plans underway for a further four in Europe.

"Salts of the Earth" - information sheet about this group (PDF 336kb)

Press release - "University leads the way in vital global soil research"

SoilTrEc: Soil Transformations in European Catchments