Biogeosciences

Most of the life-sustaining processes on Earth exist in a narrow band close to the surface of the planet known as the Critical Zone. The Critical Zone is the heterogeneous, near-surface environment in which complex interactions involving rock, soil, water, air, and living organisms regulate the natural habitat and determine the availability of life-sustaining resources. An array of important physical, chemical, and biological processes and reactions occurs in the Critical Zone over a range of scales, both spatial (atomic to global) and temporal (nanoseconds to millennia).

These processes impact the mass and energy exchange necessary for biomass production, chemical recycling, and water storage. They also control the transport and cycling of contaminants and nutrients and have critical effects on soil, air, and water quality. They determine the health and sustainability of the ecosystem and its inhabitants. Our research in this area places special emphasis on the impact of biogeochemical interfacial reactions on the reactivity, transport, and cycling of metals, nutrients, carbon, and microbes in the environment.