AquaDiva Group picture 2024

Collaborative Research Centre 1076 AquaDiva​

Understanding the Links between Surface and Subsurface Biogeosphere
AquaDiva Group picture 2024
Image: Thomas Ritschel

Aim of the Collaborative Research Centre 1076 AquaDiva​

The Critical Zone (CZ) is the Earth's porous skin where air, water, and rock intersect and interact with life. It is critical because this is the zone where humans live, and we depend on its resources, from clean water to food production and climate regulation. The CZ extends downward from the vegetation through soil to the subsurface, including deep soil, weathered rock, and groundwater, hundreds of meters deep. Although these different compartments are connected by fluid flow and matter transport, they are mostly studied separately. Pollution, land-use, and climate change increasingly impact and alter CZ's surface compartments, but we do not understand the consequences for the subsurface.

The principle aim of the CRC AquaDiva is to increase our understanding of how water (Aqua) links surface and subsurface and how local geology and surface conditions set subsurface functional diversity (Diva) and ecology. CRC AquaDiva's overarching research questions are: How deep do surface 'signals' penetrate into the subsurface? What is the role of events in the dynamics of the subsurface biogeoreactors? What is more important to subsurface life - land cover or geology?

More details about the concept of the CRC AquaDiva: Küsel et al., 2016External link

Video: CRC AquaDiva

Latest News

  1. Group photo AquaDiva International Symposium
    Image: Jakob Fröhlich
    • AquaDiva Outreach
    13th Firmenlauf 2024 in Jena

    May 22, 2024

    AquaDiva Team at Firmenlauf Jena 2024
    Image: Maria Fabisch
  2. Group photo
    Image: Chen Huang
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Impressions from CRC AquaDiva

  • Fieldwork Hainich CZE
    Image: Robert Lehmann
    Fieldwork at Hainich CZE
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Funded by the DFG

Image: DFG