A team of researchers led by the University of Colorado at Â鶹ӰԺ has received a $4.25 million grant from the National Science Foundation to study the Â鶹ӰԺ Creek watershed's "critical zone," which is made up of layers of soil and weathered rock. Awarded to CU-Â鶹ӰԺ's Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research, the grant will allow the researchers to gain a better understanding of the critical zone, which is significant because it supports terrestrial life, according to Assistant Professor Suzanne Anderson of INSTAAR, the principal investigator on the NSF grant.