Principles and Dynamics of the Critical Zone is an invaluable resource for undergraduate and graduate courses and an essential tool for researchers developing cutting-edge proposals. It provides a process-based description of the Critical Zone, a place that The National Research Council (2001) defines as 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." This text provides a summary of Critical Zone research and outcomes from the NSF funded Critical Zone Observatories, providing a process-based description of the Critical Zone in a wide range of environments with a specific focus on the important linkages that exist amongst the processes in each zone. This book will be useful to all scientists and students conducting research on the Critical Zone within and outside the Critical Zone Observatory Network, as well as scientists and students in the geosciences – atmosphere, geomorphology, geology and pedology.

• The first text to address the principles and concepts of the Critical Zone
• A comprehensive approach to the processes responsible for the development and structure of the Critical Zone in a number of environments
• An essential tool for undergraduate and graduate students, and researchers developing cutting-edge proposals

1. The Creation of the Critical Zone Observatory Network and its Philosophy2. The Critical Zone Program and Centers3. Land-Atmosphere Interaction in the Critical Zone4. Regolith and Weathering in the Critical Zone5. Soil Morphology in the Critical Zone6. Soil Geochemistry in the Critical Zone7. Terrestrial Landscape Ecology in the Critical Zone8. Ecohydrology in the Critical Zone9. Rivers in the Critical Zone10. Characteristic and Role of Groundwater in the Critical Zone11. Mass Movement Processes and Risk in the Critical Zone12. Glacial Landscapes in the Critical Zone13. Periglacial Landscapes in the Critical Zone14. Arid Landscapes in the Critical Zone15. Tropical Environments in the Critical Zone16. Coastal Landscapes in the Critical Zone17. Remote Sensing of Process Domains in the Critical Zone18. The Built Environment in the Critical Zone19. Natural and Anthropogenic Factors Affecting Groundwater in the Critical Zone20. A Summary and Future Direction of the Principles and Dynamics of the Critical Zone