Southern Sierra Critical Zone Observatory - SSCZO

The Southern Sierra Critical Zone Observatory (SSCZO) is a community platform for research on the critical zone - the outermost layer of Earth where rock, soil, water, air, and life interact. Hydrologists, biologists, geologists, soil scientists and others research at our sites on the western slope of the Sierra Nevada. Our research areas span 400 to 2700 meters in elevation and cross the rain-snow transition.

Our sites are located within and near the Kings River Experimental Watersheds in the Sierra National Forest. Researchers from several institutions across the U.S. study water and nutrient cycling, weather processes, and other topics using our intensively studied field areas as their natural laboratories. With accessible field sites and freely available data, we are a global resource for the research community. Our full-time staff and principal investigator are based at the University of California, Merced.

Our program's researchers, staff, and students are involved in science communication and earth science education efforts to increase science literacy and train the next generation of the STEM workforce.

Learn more about our research, field sites, educational resources, and more on facebook, twitter (@SSCZO) and our website (criticalzone.org/sierra).

We are one of ten Critical Zone Observatories in the National Science Foundation's U.S. National CZO Program and part of a growing international effort to advance collaborative, cross-disciplinary earth systems science.