**AWARDS ISSUED PRIOR TO JANUARY 20, 2025, WERE FUNDED UNDER PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS AND MAY NOT REFLECT THE PRIORITIES AND POLICIES OF THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION.** ASSESSING THE POTENTIAL AND PERFORMANCE OF NATURE-BASED CLIMATE SOLUTIONS IN WARMER AND DRIER ECOSYSTEMS REQUIRES A DETAILED UNDERSTANDING OF THE SUPPLY AND DEMAND OF WATER FROM SOILS, PLANTS, AND THE ATMOSPHERE. PLANT WATER STATUS AND DROUGHT SENSITIVITY IS STRONGLY CONTROLLED BY HOW WATER FLOWS ACROSS THE GRADIENT OF WATER POTENTIALS BETWEEN THE SOIL, ROOTS, PLANT XYLEM, LEAVES, AND THE ATMOSPHERE, WHICH IS COMMONLY REFERRED TO AS THE SOIL-PLANT-ATMOSPHERE CONTINUUM. HOWEVER, CHARACTERIZING WATER FLUXES ACROSS THE SOIL-PLANT-ATMOSPHERE CONTINUUM IS DIFFICULT GIVEN HOW WATER POTENTIAL MEASUREMENTS ARE CURRENTLY MADE. SPECIFICALLY, LEAF WATER POTENTIAL MEASUREMENTS, WHICH ARE SPORADICALLY MEASURED ONCE OR TWICE A DAY, RARELY SPATIALLY ALIGN WITH SOIL WATER POTENTIAL MEASUREMENTS THAT CAN BE RECORDED EVERY FEW MINUTES PRODUCING A SUBSTANTIAL SPATIAL-TEMPORAL MISMATCH. THUS, PREDICTING THE WATER MOVEMENT BETWEEN SOILS AND PLANTS INFLUENCES OUR UNDERSTANDING OF MANY BIOPHYSICAL PROCESSES, INCLUDING MICROBIAL ACTIVITY, TRANSPIRATION, PHOTOSYNTHESIS, SOIL INFILTRATION, AND ROOT WATER UPTAKE.HERE, WE ASK THREE FUNDAMENTAL QUESTIONS, Q1) WHAT IS THE VARIABILITY OF ROOT-ZONE SOIL WATER POTENTIAL THROUGH SPACE AND TIME, AND TO WHAT EXTENT DOES PLANT COVER AND MANAGEMENT REGIME AFFECT THAT VARIABILITY? Q2) HOW DOES ACCOUNTING FOR THE SPATIAL HETEROGENEITY OF SOIL WATER POTENTIAL IMPROVE EXPLANATIONS OF PLANT GROWTH AND CROP YIELDS AT THE ECOSYSTEM SCALE? AND Q3) HOW DOES INTEGRATING THE VARIATION IN ROOT-ZONE AND SOIL WATER POTENTIAL IMPROVE PREDICTIONS OF PLANT WATER USE, SPECIFICALLY TRANSPIRATION? TO ADDRESS THESE QUESTIONS AND REDUCE THE MISMATCH OF SOIL, ROOT, AND PLANT WATER POTENTIAL MEASUREMENTS WE WILL IMPLEMENT NOVEL ELECTRICAL RESISTIVITY IMAGING TECHNIQUES TO EXPAND THE SPATIAL AND TEMPORAL REPRESENTATION OF SOIL WATER POTENTIAL MEASUREMENTS. MOREOVER, WE WILL USE THESE NOVEL DATA TYPES TO IMPROVE PREDICTIONS OF CARBON AND WATER EXCHANGE IN TWO PROMISING NATURE-BASED CLIMATE SOLUTIONS, WINTER COVER CROPS AND NATURALLY MANAGED FORESTS, FOR THE MIDWEST UNITED STATES. OUR RESEARCH OBJECTIVES WILL IMPROVE CONFIDENCE OF BIOPHYSICAL MODELS FOR PREDICTING PLANT GROWTH AND CARBON SEQUESTRATION THROUGH THE DEVELOPMENT OF NOVEL EMPIRICAL OBSERVATIONS ACROSS EXPANDED SPATIO-TEMPORAL SCALES. MOREOVER, OUR PROPOSED RESEARCH IS OF PARTICULAR IMPORTANCE FOR THE USDA PARTNERSHIPS FOR CLIMATE-SMART COMMODITIES AIMED AT COMBING PRIVATE AND PUBLIC INTERESTS TO DEVELOP AND DEPLOY CLIMATE-SMART MANAGEMENT PRACTICES FOR FARMERS, RANCHERS, AND FORESTERS.?