Coastal Critical Zone Monitoring Sites
Use the web mapper below to explore our monitoring network.
Zooming in on a site will make visible the locations of our sensors and equipment used to observe different environmental variables, like soil salinity and water levels. Click on the map symbols for details.
Engagement Plan
The goals of our Engagement Plan are to 1) involve faculty and student affiliates both outside of our CZ Cluster and not historically involved with CZ projects, who wish to benefit from the resources, research sites, and expertise available. We are coordinating with the CZ Hub and other CZ Clusters, and we will develop our cluster as a resource to the broad community of scientists, students, and stakeholders; and 2) engage and inform relevant stakeholders. Our strategy is to involve both the academic community and the broader government and private sector (NGO) communities. Our plan includes an annual 1.5-day all-hands meeting, biannual symposia, and engagement travel awards. Metrics: 1) One annual 1.5-day all-hands meeting per year; 2) Two larger, biannual symposia in years 2 and 4; and 3) Six travel awards made in years 2-5. These activities are detailed below.
Collaborations and Partnerships
Biogeochemical Feedbacks Lead: Tully (UMD). Co-Leads: Chin (UD) and Seyfferth (UD) Participants: Overview: Slow and fast hydrological processes will change soil and water salinity and redox conditions that will alter nutrient (e.g., phosphorus [P] and nitrogen [N]) and C stores, composition and fluxes at the marsh-upland transition. Differing rates and persistence of inundated and saline conditions due to fast and slow hydrologic processes will affect cycling of redox-active elements (e.g., iron [Fe] and sulfur [S]), organo-mineral assemblages, and mineral-nutrient stability in soils and sediments. If C and P are associated with poorly crystalline Fe minerals, they are more susceptible to leaving the systems upon flooding due to redox changes. Inundation will cause flushing of C, N, and P from the system, which is exacerbated with increases in salinity. Further, the dominant biogeochemical processes will differ between marsh-forested and marsh-agricultural transitions within the CZ. It is unknown how the hydrological dynamics and water chemistry will alter C mobilization/sequestration in marsh-forest and marsh-agriculture transition zones. A primary objective is to determine which key hydrological and biogeochemical factors influence soil organic carbon (SOC) loss or sequestration. Team Management Plan: Hypothesis 3 leads, will convey the experimental tasks, responsibilities, and schedules as laid out in the strategic implementation plan to all team members. Teams will meet quarterly. Sub-project meetings will be held as needed. Annual assessments of progress toward goals and milestones will be compared to the strategic implementation plan. Any alterations will be made. Objective: We will determine how changes in salinity and redox conditions tied to fast and slow processes will affect N, P, and C composition, lability, and the sequestration potential of marsh-forest and marsh-agricultural soils?
Cross-network research collaborations
We have initially identified 4 points of common scientific and educational interest across the set of CZ networks that we prioritize initiating in Year 1, detailed below. Our goals are to 1) generate new science beyond what was originally proposed by leveraging existing activities and expanding them to new sites and new science questions; 2) broaden engagement with the CZ and broader scientific communities by facilitating interactions; and 3) identify mutually beneficial educational interactions that could enhance the quality, longevity, and diversity of our educational programs.