Basic Research Opportunities in Earth Science identifies areas of high-priority research within the purview of the Earth Science Division of the National Science Foundation, assesses cross-disciplinary connections, and discusses the linkages between basic research and societal needs. Opportunities in Earth science have been opened up by major improvements in techniques for reading the geological record of terrestrial change, capabilities for observing active processes in the present-day Earth, and computational technologies for realistic simulations of dynamic geosystems. This book examines six specific areas in which the opportunities for basic research are especially compelling, including integrative studies of the near-surface environment (the "Critical Zone"); geobiology; Earth and planetary materials; investigations of the continents; studies of Earth's deep interior; and planetary science. It concludes with a discussion of mechanisms for exploiting these research opportunities, including EarthScope, natural laboratories, and partnerships.
- BASIC RESEARCH OPPORTUNITIES IN Earth Science
- Copyright
- Acknowledgments
- Preface
- Contents
- Executive Summary
- OPPORTUNITIES FOR BASIC RESEARCH
- PRINCIPAL FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
- Long-Term Support of Investigator-Driven Science
- Mechanisms for Multidisciplinary Research
- Instrumentation and Facilities
- Education
- PARTNERSHIPS IN EARTH SCIENCE
- REQUIRED RESOURCES
- 1 Basic Earth Science and Society
- INTRODUCTION
- Role of the National Science Foundation
- Organization of the Report
- APPLICATIONS OF BASIC EARTH SCIENCE TO NATIONAL PROBLEMS
- Natural Resources
- Energy
- Minerals and Other Raw Materials
- Water
- Soil
- Natural Hazards
- Geoscience-Based Engineering
- The Environment
- National Defense and Global Security
- THE AGENDA FOR BASIC RESEARCH
- Reading the Record of Terrestrial Change and Extreme Events
- Observing the Active Earth
- 2 Science Opportunities
- THE CRITICAL ZONE: EARTH’S NEAR-SURFACE ENVIRONMENT
- Science Opportunities
- Global Climate Change and the Terrestrial Carbon Cycle
- The Interactions of Life, Water, and Minerals
- The Land-Ocean Interface
- Tectonics, Climate, and Weathering
- Earth History
- New Tools and Observations
- Need for Coordinated Field Work and Integrated Modeling
- GEOBIOLOGY
- Recent Advances
- Climate Studies
- Biological Controls on Earth Chemistry
- Molecular Geobiology
- Evolutionary Innovations
- Environmental and Ecological Dynamics
- New Tools and Capabilities
- Science Goals and Challenges
- EARTH AND PLANETARY MATERIALS
- Recent Advances
- Science Opportunities
- Development of Intense Neutron Beams and Other Powerful New Probes of Material Properties
- Retrieval of Samples From Other Planets, Interplanetary Space, and Comets
- Application of Molecular Biology to Earth Materials
- Long-Term Observations in Natural Laboratories
- THE CONTINENTS
- Recent Advances
- Science Opportunities
- Surface Processes, Climate, and Tectonics
- Active Deformation
- Fluids in the Crust
- Lower Continental Crust
- Continental Deep Structure
- EarthScope—A Major Initiative
- DEEP INTERIOR
- Major Areas of Investigation
- Mantle Convection and Geochemical Reservoirs
- The Core-Mantle Boundary (CMB)
- The Core Dynamo and Magnetic Field
- Inner Core
- Disciplinary Advances
- Seismology
- Geomagnetic Studies
- Geochemistry Studies
- High-Pressure Studies of Earth Materials
- THE PLANETS
- Promise of Planetary Exploration
- Science Opportunities
- Analytical Challenges
- 3 Findings and Recommendations
- LONG-TERM SUPPORT OF INVESTIGATOR-DRIVEN SCIENCE
- Geobiology
- Earth and Planetary Materials
- Hydrology, Geology, and the Critical Zone
- MAJOR INITIATIVES
- EarthScope
- Natural Laboratories
- SUPPORT OF MULTIDISCIPLINARY RESEARCH
- Microorganisms in the Environment
- Planetary Science
- INSTRUMENTATION AND FACILITIES
- EDUCATION
- Training in the Earth Sciences
- Broadening Involvement in Active Research
- Field-Focused Opportunities
- PARTNERSHIPS IN EARTH SCIENCE
- Partnerships Within NSF
- Partnerships between EAR and Other Agencies
- REQUIRED RESOURCES
- Appendixes
- Appendix A Earth Science Programs
- NSF EARTH SCIENCE DIVISION
- EAR Education Programs
- RELATED FEDERAL RESEARCH PROGRAMS
- U.S. Geological Survey
- Department of Energy
- National Aeronautics and Space Administration
- Lessons Learned from Previous Collaborations with USGS, DOE, and NASA
- Potential Partnerships with Other Agencies and NSF Programs
- Appendix B Community Input
- SYMPOSIA
- Geological Society of America Annual Meeting, 1998 1
- WORKSHOP REPORTS 3
- LETTERS FROM INDIVIDUALS
- Universities, Museums, and Professional Societies
- Federal Agencies
- Acronyms
Text
Audio
Adobe DRM
Login to your account