The Boulder Creek Critical Zone Observatory was established to explore the evolution and function of the critical zone under differing erosion histories. Monitoring infrastructure has been established in three sub-catchments of Boulder Creek that differ significantly in their erosional regime. Time series of meteorological forcing, and the hydrologic, geomorphic and ecological response of the catchment are now being collected. Research focuses on interactions among these processes. Under this award, the team will deepen their research on interconnected topics of hydrologic interactions and partitioning, weathering and mobile regolith production, trees as agents of regolith development, landscape-level biogeochemical and microbial dynamics, fire and landscape disturbance, and landscape evolution.
The research at Boulder Creek Critical Zone Observatory (BcCZO) examines the evolution and function of Earth?s Critical Zone?the thin veneer of Earth between the top of the vegetation and the base of weathered bedrock. The team will examine hydrologic processes, the roles of trees in developing regolith, and the role of infrequent events such as fires in landscape development. Over the coming year, the BcCZO will continue to expose researchers and students to critical zone science and generate datasets for the broader scientific community. The process of science and the discoveries made are taken directly to the public through several avenues. These include research-based curriculum at middle-school level offered through student-teacher workshops and a summer day camp, run in partnership with the CU Science Discovery program; summer research experience for high school students, also with CU Science Discovery; the Keck Geology Program research experience for undergraduates during the summer; the Critical Zone Cyber-seminar series, hosted by CUAHSI; and a website.
The Boulder Creek CZO was designed to study how water, trees and other organisms, and weather events shape the landscapes of the Colorado Front Range and adjacent Plains. The project focused on three small watersheds in the mountains to monitor snow, rain, streamflow, groundwater, and trees in different ecologic and climate zones. These sites each represent different geologic, and particularly different erosion histories, which shape the topography and distribution of soils and rock outcrops. The single most significant research outcome from the project was drilling a 124m deep well that is now producing the only record of water table fluctuations in the area. Monitoring of the well began in spring 2013. It has provided an interesting record of deep recharge in response to the record-setting September 2013 storm. Other significant outcomes include publication of work on leaching of organic carbon from soils, advancement of knowledge about residence time and production rate of soils in montane forests, and analysis of the demographics of montane forests on opposing aspect slopes. The project trained graduate students, supported undergraduate researchers, and delivered science education programs to middle school and high school students. A professional development course for teachers was created and offered for the first time in summer of 2014. Information on research in the project has been delivered
