About this Research Topic
Connectivity implies the pathways that link organisms, energy, and matter across different compartments of the Earth’s critical zone; it also refers to the links that key processes have to deep hydrological flow paths and atmospheric circulation systems. Although connectivity has been long investigated in geomorphology, the usage of connectivity in other cognate disciplines, such as hydrology, biogeochemistry, and watershed science, has occurred only recently. A major driver for the development of a broader definition and investigation came from the Geomorphology Symposium, organized around the connectivity theme in 2015 [https://www.binghamtongeomorph.com/]. Six key themes from the symposium included sediment connectivity, hydrologic connectivity, geochemical connectivity, riverine connectivity, landscape connectivity, and connectivity modeling.
Since the Geomorphology Symposium in 2015, significant progress has been achieved in understanding the evolution of connectivity and the quantification of various aspects of connectivity and its thresholds. However, several opportunities still exist for unlocking the full potential of a broad consideration of connectivity and thereby advancing the predictive understanding of watershed processes at multiple scales and the Earth’s critical zone. Here we invite theoretical and data-driven contributions that can contribute using connectivity constructs.
Topics of interest include but are not limited to:
1. Elucidation of the current state of knowledge regarding the concept of connectivity (vis-à-vis six themes mentioned above) in watershed sciences and the Earth’s critical zone and its underlying theoretical assumptions.
2. New approaches, including machine learning and artificial intelligence, that make use of a spectrum of data sources to quantify connectivity, and the interactions between different types of connectivity.
3. Novel frameworks making use of the broad concepts of connectivity in watershed and reactive transport models to understand hydrobiogeochemical dynamics and predict transient export of water, nitrogen, carbon, and metals.
4. Frameworks to quantify uncertainty and address inherent data challenges for diverse connectivity aspects.
Since the Geomorphology Symposium in 2015, significant progress has been achieved in understanding the evolution of connectivity and the quantification of various aspects of connectivity and its thresholds. However, several opportunities still exist for unlocking the full potential of a broad consideration of connectivity and thereby advancing the predictive understanding of watershed processes at multiple scales and the Earth’s critical zone. Here we invite theoretical and data-driven contributions that can contribute using connectivity constructs.
Topics of interest include but are not limited to:
1. Elucidation of the current state of knowledge regarding the concept of connectivity (vis-à-vis six themes mentioned above) in watershed sciences and the Earth’s critical zone and its underlying theoretical assumptions.
2. New approaches, including machine learning and artificial intelligence, that make use of a spectrum of data sources to quantify connectivity, and the interactions between different types of connectivity.
3. Novel frameworks making use of the broad concepts of connectivity in watershed and reactive transport models to understand hydrobiogeochemical dynamics and predict transient export of water, nitrogen, carbon, and metals.
4. Frameworks to quantify uncertainty and address inherent data challenges for diverse connectivity aspects.
Keywords: Connectivity, Watershed, River, Critical Zone, Hydrologic, Sediment, Solutes, Geomorphic, Ecological
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