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Critical Zone News

@cznews.bsky.social
575 followers 800 following 2.8K posts

Your source for news and updates about Critical Zone science in action all around the world. Curated by the NSF-funded AccelNet Design: Accelerating Critical Zone Science with an International Network of Networks team.

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Critical Zone News @cznews.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
Lakes play an important role in the carbon cycle, but few studies have focused on high-elevation lakes. Our latest post to Substack follows this topic high into the Andes. 🧪🔬💧⛰️ Mountain Lakes Tell a Carbon Story Above the Clouds criticalzonenews.substack.com/p/mountain-l...
criticalzonenews.substack.com
Mountain Lakes Tell a Carbon Story Above the Clouds
Above Cuenca, Ecuador, the lakes of Cajas National Park sit in a cold, bright world of grass, rock, wetland, and sky.
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Critical Zone News @cznews.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
It was another big fire summer in the Northern Hemisphere. Read about recent work to understand what comes next in our most recent post to Substack. 🧪🔬🌲 Fire Tests the Future of Northern Conifers substack.com/@criticalzon...
substack.com
Fire Tests the Future of Northern Conifers
In the northwestern Canadian subarctic, the forest does not hurry back.
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Critical Zone News @cznews.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Are you looking for a PhD project studying environmental drivers that influence human health and well-being? You might be interested in this new opportunity at the University of Toulouse: adum.fr/as/ed/voirpr... #criticalzone #environment 🧪🔬💧
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Critical Zone News @cznews.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
How can international research collaboration and networks can remain connected and resilient in an increasingly fragmented world? 🧪🔬 mountainresearchinitiative.org/news/keeping...
mountainresearchinitiative.org
Keeping Research Connected: The MRI Contributes to Dialogue on the Role of Technology for a Just and Habitable World  – Mountain Research Initiative MRI
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Critical Zone News @cznews.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
How does evolution of the Critical Zone relate to landslide risk? We spotlight a paper exploring that question in our latest post to Susbstack. 🧪🔬💧 Weathered Mountains Decide Which Slopes Fail substack.com/@criticalzon...
substack.com
Weathered Mountains Decide Which Slopes Fail
In the mountains above Utuado, Puerto Rico, a hurricane does not arrive on a blank landscape.
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Critical Zone News @cznews.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Water temperature is an important indicator of stream health. Read about mixing of water from urban and natural streams in our latest post to Substack. 🧪🔬💧 Urban Storms Send Heat Pulses Through Spring-Fed Streams criticalzonenews.substack.com/p/urban-stor...
criticalzonenews.substack.com
Urban Storms Send Heat Pulses Through Spring-Fed Streams
A summer storm crosses State College, Pennsylvania, and the water begins to take sides.
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European Geosciences Union (EGU) @egu.eu · 22/09/2026
Check out this month's #EguPolicy newsletter📩! Discover the latest highlights in #Sci4Pol opportunities and events! 👀 Stay updated & read more here: egu.eu/1CMVWX
Image description: Digital tablet displaying attendees during a conference. Text reads:'' Dear EGU Expert, This month’s Science for Policy Newsletter highlights your chance to submit and convene a Science for Policy session for EGU27, new resources available through the Policy Engagement Toolkit by ENGAGEgreen, and the S4PXchange project that aims to strengthen science for policy across Europe. It also highlights an upcoming joint science4policy event in Brussels on climate services and adaptation that you can register for now.
If you have any further questions or comments about the policy resources and opportunities that exist for scientists in Europe, don't hesitate to get in touch!
Best wishes,
EGU's Science for Policy Team. Read more.''
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Lumpenanalyst @resisdance.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
"According to the WMO’s new report, terrestrial #water storage—or the total stored in groundwater, lakes, rivers, soil moisture, vegetation, ice, and snow—has been falling since the mid-2010s." www.commondreams.org/news/un-wate...
commondreams.org
'We Are Spending Our Reserves,' WMO Chief Warns as UN Drops Global Water Report | Common Dreams
"The buffers that have historically protected water security—snow, ice, groundwater—are eroding in many regions on a timescale of years, not overnight," the agency leader said, stressing "a sense of u...
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SoilMicroBio @soilmicrobio.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Knowing your soils is the first step in managing your soils well teagasc.ie/news--events... #SoilHealthWeek
teagasc.ie
Soil Health Week: Know your soil - Teagasc | Agriculture and Food Development Authority
Irish soils are remarkably diverse. More than 200 different soil types occur across the country, and it is common to find several soil types within the same farm, or even within a single field. As par...
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Critical Zone News @cznews.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Where do different plants find their water in the soil? Read about some recent work on this topic on our latest post to Substack. 🧪🔬🌲 💧 Soil Moisture Decides When Roots Compete criticalzonenews.substack.com/p/soil-moist...
criticalzonenews.substack.com
Soil Moisture Decides When Roots Compete
In a mixed landscape, the drama of survival is often underground.
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SoilMicroBio @soilmicrobio.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
This coming Monday #SoilHealthWeek kicks off with the 'Secret Life of Soil' webinar and Q&A in association with the Irish Soil Biology Research network. Join us for a visual journey through the life in soil and all your #SoilHealth questions answered. Registration teagasc.ie/environment/...
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European Geosciences Union (EGU) @egu.eu · 17/09/2026
#EGUWebinars: Beyond SciComm 101. In this #webinar, you will learn: -Why does science matter in multilateral environmental negotiations? -How can scientists effectively engage with decision makers? 📅Monday, 5 October 2026 at 11:00 CEST Register now: egu.eu/55PJGS 📸: Alexandra Kushnir on #imaggeo
Image description: Sandstone in the background. Text reads: '' Webinar Beyond SciComm 101: Building Environmental Science-Policy Dialogue – Is Science Up For Negotiation? Join Meeting - Monday, 5 October 2026 at 11:00 CEST. Register Now!''
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Critical Zone News @cznews.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
What makes #carbon accumulate in #soils? Research profiled in our latest Substack post considers this question for alpine soils on the Tibetan Plateau. 🧪🔬 Fertilized Grasslands Reveal a Hidden Mineral Carbon Switch criticalzonenews.substack.com/p/fertilized...
criticalzonenews.substack.com
Fertilized Grasslands Reveal a Hidden Mineral Carbon Switch
On a fenced alpine grassland in Xinjiang, China, the most consequential action may be happening below the reach of ordinary attention.
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Critical Zone News @cznews.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
How do forests work in climates where water arrives in the winter but summers feature drought? Read about it on our latest Substack. 🧪🔬💧🌲 Forests Shift Their Water Strategy From Snowmelt to Drought substack.com/@criticalzon...
substack.com
Forests Shift Their Water Strategy From Snowmelt to Drought
High in the Sierra Nevada, a forested headwater catchment keeps time with snow, sun, and hidden water.
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Critical Zone News @cznews.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
A Giant Sequoia tree needs a lot of water. Where do they find it when soils seems so dry? Read about it in a recent post to our Substack. 🧪🧪💧🌲 Geophysics Reveals the Hidden Water Reservoirs Beneath Sequoias substack.com/@criticalzon...
substack.com
Geophysics Reveals the Hidden Water Reservoirs Beneath Sequoias
In Yosemite’s Mariposa Grove, a giant sequoia is not merely tall; it is improbable at every scale.
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Global Soil Biodiversity Conference 2026 @gsb2026.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
🚨 A friendly reminder to submit your manuscript to one of our special issues:
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Critical Zone News @cznews.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
Our lastest post to Substack. 🧪🔬💧 Rain Carries a Hidden Chemistry From Air to Ecosystems substack.com/@criticalzon...
substack.com
Rain Carries a Hidden Chemistry From Air to Ecosystems
A storm begins above the forest as weather, but inside each falling drop is a small chemical spacecraft, carrying evidence from trees, microbes, fires, cities, aerosols, clouds, and sunlight.
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Critical Zone News @cznews.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
Water-rock interactions are a big part of what happens in the Critical Zone. Read about some of the complexity in our latest Substack article. 🧪🪣🔬 Acid Rain Meets Its Match Beneath the Red Soil substack.com/@criticalzon...
substack.com
Acid Rain Meets Its Match Beneath the Red Soil
In the red-soil hills of subtropical China, rain begins its descent with a hidden burden of acid.
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Critical Zone News @cznews.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
Predicting how much runoff a watershed will produce in response to a given amount of precipitation is surprisingly difficult, as explored in our latest Substack article. 🧪🔬🪣 Catchments Change Their Rules When Wetness Connects the Landscape criticalzonenews.substack.com/p/catchments...
criticalzonenews.substack.com
Catchments Change Their Rules When Wetness Connects the Landscape
At the beginning of a storm, a catchment can seem quiet, almost undecided.
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Critical Zone News @cznews.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
Trees store carbon, but how can we better estimate how much carbon is in an entire forest? Read about progress in this direction in our latest Substack article: The Forest Carbon Ledger Depends on Each Tree’s Chemistry substack.com/@criticalzon... 🧪🔬🌲
substack.com
The Forest Carbon Ledger Depends on Each Tree’s Chemistry
In a temperate forest beside a lake in Ontario, the future of climate accounting is hidden in tree trunks.
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Critical Zone News @cznews.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
Our most recent post to Substack: substack.com/@criticalzon... 🧪🔬
substack.com
Carbon Removal Depends on the Journey Underground
A handful of crushed basalt looks like a simple climate instrument: dark grains, volcanic origin, a mineral future scattered across a field.
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European Geosciences Union (EGU) @egu.eu · 13/08/2026
The call for #session #proposals for the #EGU27 General Assembly is now open 🙌! Session proposals are welcome for both virtual and on-site participation at the EGU General Assembly, taking place from 4–9 April 2027 in Vienna, Austria. 📆: 23 September 2026. 👉 Submit here: www.egu27.eu
Image description: attendees during the #egu26 conference. Text reads:'' The call for session proposals for #EGU27 is now open!  Submit by 23 September 2026!
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Critical Zone News @cznews.bsky.social · 01/08/2026
Northern Lakes Release Methane in Bursts the Climate Models Must Catch -- Another July post to our Substack. 🧪🌐 open.substack.com/pub/critical...
open.substack.com
Northern Lakes Release Methane in Bursts the Climate Models Must Catch
On a still Swedish lake, the surface can look like a sheet of dark glass, holding forest, clouds, and sky in one unbroken reflection.
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Critical Zone News @cznews.bsky.social · 01/08/2026
Dust isn't just a feature of the desert; #dust deposition changes the #ecology of mountain #lakes too. Read how in our Substack. 🧪🌐 open.substack.com/pub/critical...
open.substack.com
Dust Turns Western Lakes Into Living Climate Sensors
On a summer day in the western United States, a lake can look like a polished fragment of sky, blue at the surface and quiet enough to seem untouched by the deserts beyond the ridge.
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Critical Zone News @cznews.bsky.social · 01/08/2026
Read about how #dust deposition changes the timing of mountain snowmelt in our Substack. 🧪🌐 open.substack.com/pub/critical...
open.substack.com
Dark Snow Moves the Mountain Calendar
In the headwaters above the Great Salt Lake, spring does not arrive only by temperature.
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Critical Zone News @cznews.bsky.social · 01/08/2026
Catching up on some of our July posts to Substack 🧪🌐 open.substack.com/pub/critical...
open.substack.com
Alpine Springs Reveal the Hidden Chemistry of Disappearing Ice
High in the Alps, water appears where the mountain seems least willing to give it up: below a rock glacier, at the foot of a young moraine, beneath a talus slope of broken stone, beside the pale edge ...
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European Geosciences Union (EGU) @egu.eu · 29/07/2026
The call for #session #proposals for the #EGU27 General Assembly is now open 🙌! Session proposals are welcome for both virtual and on-site participation at the EGU General Assembly, taking place from 4–9 April 2027 in Vienna, Austria. 📆: 23 September 2026. 👉 Submit here: www.egu27.eu
Image description: attendees during the #egu26 conference. Text reads:'' The call for session proposals for #EGU27 is now open!  Submit by 23 September 2026!
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Critical Zone News @cznews.bsky.social · 13/07/2026
Registration is Open! lterbg26.eu
lterbg26.eu
LterConference-26
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Sean Pang @seh-pang.bsky.social · 08/07/2026
Almost every European plant species is out of equilibrium. Climate change is only part of the story—disturbance greatly shapes where species actually occur. 🚨Our new paper 🌱in @natecoevo.nature.com analysed 3,047 species across >1.1M European vegetation plots. www.nature.com/articles/s41...
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EGU Biogeosciences Division (BG) @egubg.bsky.social · 09/05/2025
‪ Registration for the @egu.eu supported Mary Anning Conference closes next week. Talks and discussions on #CO2, #water and #ecosystem function across scales meetings.copernicus.org/mac1-coupling/ in #Bordeaux 10-12th June 2025 at @inrae-france.bsky.social @egubg.bsky.social #biogeosciences
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European Geosciences Union (EGU) @egu.eu · 12/07/2026
Are you an #ECS looking for a meaningful way to make an impact beyond research? Then it's time to join the #EGU Special Activity Fund's Mission Earth project! 👀 Interested in learning more? 🔗 Register here: egu.eu/7YNU7B 📷 Marc Girons Lopez on imaggeo.egu.eu
Image description: River branches and lagoons in the Rapa river delta. Text reads:'' join the mission earth project.'' EGU special activity fund, Become the mission’s ambassador, 15 July, Learn more in the workshop.''
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Critical Zone News @cznews.bsky.social · 13/07/2026
Our latest post to Substack 🧪🌐 substack.com/@criticalzon...
substack.com
Mountain Winds Reveal the Hidden Routes of Dust
At nearly 3700 m elevation in the Uinta Mountains of Utah, a machine was installed to specifically sample dust delivered from contrasting directions by the wind.
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Critical Zone News @cznews.bsky.social · 24/06/2026
Share your Critical Zone research in San Francisco during #AGU26. Submit your abstract today. 🌐🧪
bit.ly
AGU26 Annual Meeting | AGU
AGU’s annual meeting, the largest gathering of Earth and space scientists, convenes 20,000+ attendees from 100+ countries to share research, connect, collaborate, and inspire one another. Join us for...
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Critical Zone News @cznews.bsky.social · 24/06/2026
Our latest post to Substack. 🌐🧪
bit.ly
Fungi Tip the Balance in Tomorrow’s Grasslands
Under the visible world, where leaves lift themselves into light and stems make their quiet bid for space, another civilization is always at work.
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Global Soil Biodiversity Conference 2026 @gsb2026.bsky.social · 22/06/2026
📰 Special Issue: Clay matters for soil enzymes—but not all enzymes respond the same way. This study shows that acid and alkaline phosphatases interact differently with soil texture. www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
sciencedirect.com
Clay differentially influence phosphatase activities in soil
Phosphatase enzymes play a critical role in soil phosphorus cycling, yet acid phosphatase (ACP) and alkaline phosphatase (AKP) differ markedly in thei…
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MUSER PRESS @muser.press · 23/06/2026
Soil fungi help drive nutrient cycling, support plant growth and contribute to #carbonstorage. A new review examines how fungal diversity shapes #ecosystems, agriculture and #health, while influencing the resilience of soils to environmental change. #Science #Environment #Fungi DOI: doi.org/hb783q
muser.press
Soil fungal diversity shapes ecosystems, agriculture and health • Muser Press
Beneath forests, grasslands and farmland, fungal communities help drive nutrient cycling, carbon storage and plant growth. A review published in Nature
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AI4PEX @ai4pex.bsky.social · 23/06/2026
⏰ Reminder: #AI4PEX Science Talks take place this Thursday! 🌍 Hadi Shokati AI for soil erosion, flood segmentation & rainfall erosivity forecasting 🧠 René Geist SoftJAX & SoftTorch: differentiable programming for scientific ML 📅 Thursday, 25 June 2026, 13:00 CEST 👉 Register now! buff.ly/ISWKn3W
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Critical Zone News @cznews.bsky.social · 22/06/2026
Our latest post to Substack. 🌐🧪
bit.ly
Ancient Arctic Mud Reveals a Carbon Journey Through Ice
A tube of ancient mud can feel, at first, like the least dramatic object in science: gray, cold, quiet, a ledger written in grains.
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Critical Zone News @cznews.bsky.social · 19/06/2026
Our latest post to Substack. 🌐🧪
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Great Slave Lake Decides Carbon’s Northern Fate
The water does not hurry at first.
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NFDI4Chem @nfdi4chem.de · 16/06/2026
Not sure where to publish your data? Meet the Repositories brings together chemistry-friendly repositories to discuss scope, use cases & FAIR data publishing. Find the right home for your research data—and ask repository experts directly. 🧪 30.06.2026, 10-12 am t1p.de/jpjfc #OpenScience
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Chris Schmidt @handle.invalid · 16/06/2026
@jo-soltwedel.bsky.social presenting about how important FAIR data management is for efficiently leveraging AI in a trustworthy manner. Small differences in underlying data annotation and metadata can effect AI-based analysis output a lot. #ELMI2026 @gerbi-gmb.de #OME-Zarr
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OpenAIRE @openaire.bsky.social · 17/06/2026
65% of EU countries have policies on FAIR Data, but gaps remain in implementation. With EOSC Track, we monitor how FAIR principles are adopted across Europe. 👉 Explore it: www.eoscobservatory.eu/explore/open... #EOSCTrack #FAIRdata #OpenScience #DataStewardship #ResearchData #EOSC #OpenResearch
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Critical Zone News @cznews.bsky.social · 17/06/2026
Across the forests of Southeast Asia, climate pressure does not arrive as a single force. Heat, drying air, shifting rainfall, and rising atmospheric demand combine in different ways across landscapes, reshaping the conditions under which tropical forests persist and store carbon: bit.ly/4vT433q
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Critical Zone News @cznews.bsky.social · 17/06/2026
Beneath every field lies information waiting to be measured. As agriculture becomes increasingly connected, sensors are moving beyond isolated probes toward flexible materials that blend into the soil itself, transforming the ground into an active source of environmental intelligence: bit.ly/4oS23q9
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Critical Zone News @cznews.bsky.social · 17/06/2026
By linking hydraulic monitoring, machine learning, and subsurface flow processes, this study situates seepage analysis within a broader water-management system where engineering design, geological properties, and groundwater dynamics collectively influence infrastructure performance: bit.ly/4xA9fek
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Critical Zone News @cznews.bsky.social · 17/06/2026
Our latest post to Substack. 🌐🧪
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Satellites Give Soil Its Daily Voice
In the quiet before a storm, the ground keeps its own calendar.
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Critical Zone News @cznews.bsky.social · 17/06/2026
Rapid detection methods are important for recreational water management, where delays in contamination assessment can affect both public health decisions and public confidence in water quality monitoring. Read more in this thesis from McGill University student Michelle Pelletier: bit.ly/4fR0mXs
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Critical Zone News @cznews.bsky.social · 16/06/2026
"Since the '70s, enrichment factor analysis has been used to separate natural mineral inheritance from human-added contamination. Sediment Quality Guidelines gave researchers a way to compare chemical concentrations with likely biological effects. Here, the authors add labile fraction measurements."
open.substack.com
Lagoon Sediments Reveal a City’s Chemical Future
At the bottom of a lagoon, the future keeps a ledger in grains smaller than dust.
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Critical Zone News @cznews.bsky.social · 16/06/2026
Independent evaluation of global high-resolution soil moisture products highlights the importance of rigorous validation beyond training datasets, particularly as these products become increasingly integrated into agricultural, hydrological, and disaster-management applications. 🌐🧪
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An independent evaluation of global 1 km soil moisture products using in-situ and airborne observations
High-resolution soil moisture data are essential for applications in agriculture, hydrology, and disaster management. Four global daily SM products at…
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Critical Zone News @cznews.bsky.social · 16/06/2026
High-resolution mapping of soil organic matter and salinity offers a more precise basis for identifying degradation hotspots, supporting efforts to balance agricultural productivity with long-term soil conservation. 🌐🧪
bit.ly
Large-scale monitoring of soil organic matter and salinization using satellite hyperspectral imagery and a deep residual attention network
Soil degradation threatens environmental health and sustainable land use, with declining soil organic matter (SOM) and increasing salinization being two key manifestations. Accurate assessment of the ...
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