National Reserach Council Report Summary: Basic Research Opportunities
in Earth Science (2-18-01)
The National Research Council (NRC) has released Basic Research Opportunities
in Earth Science, a much-anticipated report that outlines high-priority
research topics in earth science. It emphasizes those diciplines that integrate
traditional geological research (geodynamics, geology, geochemistry) with
the related disciplines of hydrology, biology, planetary science, and oceanography.
Declining funding by other federal agencies to earth science research prompted
the National Science Foundation's (NSF) Earth Science Division (EAR) to
contract this report. The report defines the significance of general
Earth studies in the context of human society, identifies research topics
that are pertinent to problems faced by society, and recommends ways in
which EAR can further promote earth science research. EAR is the
only federal agency that funds a full range of basic research in the earth
sciences. Six important areas to focus future study are identified
in the report -- "Critical-Zone" research, geobiology, Earth and planetary
materials, investigations of the continents, the Earth's deep interior,
and Planetary science. The report stresses that new technological
advances have improved the ability of scientists to obtain reliable and
useful data. Developments have been made in monitoring techniques,
deciphering of past events, gathering of geospacial information, computational
capacity, and other laboratory capabilities. The report recommends that
future Earth science studies make full use of new technology.
The Importance of Basic Earth Science Research
Basic earth science research is the foundation of our understanding
of earth systems. Applied research in matters that directly impact
society -- natural hazards, agriculture, civil engineering, environmental
health, and natural resources -- cannot be implemented without a strong
foundation. The NRC report found Earth science research essential
in approaching societal needs in a number of areas:
-
Natural resources -- fuels, minerals, water, and soil
-
Natural hazards -- earthquakes, floods, droughts, landslides, tsunamis,
and volcanos
-
Geoscience-based engineering -- urban development, agriculture, and materials
engineering
-
The environment -- ecosystem management, adaptation to environmental change,
and human impact
-
National defense and global security -- arms control treaty verification,
precise positioning, mapping, and subsurface remote sensing
"Critical-Zone" Research
The "Critical-Zone" is the near surface environment where interaction
occurs between rocks, water, the atmosphere, and living matter.
Research in the "Critical-Zone" involves many scientific disciplines and
addresses problems that bear directly on society. Future opportunities
for basic research in the "Critical-Zone" include:
-
The terrestrial carbon cycle -- sources and sinks, weathering reactions,
and it's relationship to climate change
-
Mineral weathering -- microbial interactions, soil formation, accumulation
of natural resources, as well as mobilization of nutrients and toxins
-
The land-ocean interface -- how near shore processes affect river drainage,
groundwater flow, and sediment flux
-
Processes that effect climate and surface topography -- volcanism, precipitation,
glacier development, and fluvial processes
-
The "Critical-Zone" of the past -- paleoclimate, meteor impacts, major
volcanic episodes
Geobiology
Geobiology is the study of how life interacts with the Earth now and
in the past. Scientists use a variety of techniques from geological
and biological disciplines in their studies. Research opportunities include:
-
Prebiotic materials, origin of life, and early evolution
-
Controls on species development and diversity -- environment, biology,
extinction and survival, and evolutionary innovation
-
Response to environmental changes -- species, community, ecosystem, and
the role of extreme events
-
Biogeochemical interactions -- cycling within species, communities, and
ecosystems, monitoring, and remediation of environmental degradation
-
Effects of natural and anthropogenic environmental changes
Earth and Planetary Materials
Studies in molecular-level chemistry and physics of Earth and planetary
materials has been greatly enhanced by new analytical tools. Instruments
now allow determination of physical and chemical properties on a very small
scale, and experimentation under extreme conditions. Basic research
opportunities include:
-
Biomineralization
-
Characterization of extraterrestrial samples -- Mars, comets, and interplanetary
space
-
Super-high-pressure research -- applications to stellar and planetary interiors
-
Nonlinear interactions and interfacial phenomena in rocks -- strain localization,
nonlinear wave propagation, fluid-mineral interactions, and the relationship
of chemical reactions to fracturing
-
Nanophases and interfaces of minerals as well as microbiotic interfaces
-- applications to physics and chemistry of soils
-
Application of quantum and molecular theory to minerals and mineral interfaces
-
Granular media -- nonlinear physics of soils and loose aggregates
Investigations of the Continents
Traditional geologic study along with new technological advances make
detailed continental studies achievable. Satellite-based instrumentation
(InSAR and GPS) can provide small-scale resolution of crustal deformation,
and improvements in seismic tomography have made it possible to determine
the subsurface expression of surface features. These remote-sensing
techniques, along with geologic mapping and deep continental drilling will
help scientists to resolve the three-dimensional structure of continents.
Specific areas of research include:
-
Deformation -- mechanisms, earthquake physics, relationship between brittle
and ductile failure, and fault system dynamics
-
Role of fluids -- chemical, thermal, magmatic, and mechanical processes,
and deep circulation systems
-
The lower continental crust -- composition, fluid content, formation and
development, and its role as a decoupling layer
-
Deep structure of the continental lithosphere -- coupling to mantle and
Earth's evolution
The Earth's Deep Interior
The goal of research into the Earth's deep interior is to determine
it's structure, composition, and physical state as well as to understand
the driving force of mantle convection and the core dynamo. These
studies have been augmented by computer simulations that can accommodate
large data sets. Primary areas of research identified in the report
are:
-
Determination of flow patterns of solid-state mantle convection
-
Mantle convection and core dynamo operation through Earth history
-
Generation of the geomagnetic field
-
Origin and evolution of the inner core and its role in the core dynamo
Planetary Science
Planetary science investigates the origin, evolution, and structure
of planetary bodies. This field uses a wide variety of techniques
to gather data including telescopic observation, analysis of meteorites,
and space missions. Comparisons of other planetary bodies with the
earth can give insight into the processes operating on or within the Earth,
and the stages of planetary evolution. Earth science techniques must
be employed in planetary studies to compare the composition, structure,
topography, and geology of bodies in the solar system.
Recommendations
In addition to identifying basic research opportunities, the report
gives recommendations for EAR to maintain it's efficacy and promote earth
science research. The first recommendation of the report for EAR
is to continue to support a wide spectrum of investigator-driven
science. In addition to traditional funding, the agency should seek
to fund long-term research in geobiology, Earth and planetary materials,
and in the "Critical Zone" where emphasis should be placed in soil science,
hydrology and coastal zone processes. These research topics incorporate
many disciplines and may be directly applicable to problems faced in society.
The second recommendation is that EAR should emphasize the multidisciplinary
aspects of earth science. The report highlights several programs
that would strengthen EAR's commitment to long-term multidisciplinary studies.
EarthScope is an observational system employing seismology, deep-drilling,
strain meters, and satellite-based radar. Information gathered by
EarthScope would improve the understanding of the geodynamics of the Earth,
earthquake and volcanic hazards, active tectonics, and continental evolution.
Another opportunity for EAR to support cooperative, long-term research
is through natural laboratories. The report recommends the establishment
of an Earth Science Natural Laboratory (ESNL) Program that allows for the
establishment of broad-based research facilities at a number of sites
within the U.S. and territories. Special funds should support research
in the areas of microorganisms in the environment and planetary science.
Both of these disciplines have aspects that will allow incorporation of
many scientific fields as well as collaboration with other organizations
such as the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).
The third recommendation is for EAR to expand the resources it has allocated
for instrumentation and facilities. Operating state-of-the-art research
facilities should be a primary goal of the agency. EAR should solicit
more funds for the purchase of analytical equipment and facilities.
Also the agency should encourage input from the user communities to decide
what to acquire.
A final recommendation of the report was for EAR to encourage education
in the many earth science disciplines. Advancement of the Earth sciences
will require a continuous stream of well-trained investigators and professors.
EAR can encourage further education through funding of training grants,
expanding the established fellowship program, creating sabbatical leave
and post-doctoral training programs, and funding graduate and undergraduate
field work.
Many of the research goals set out in the report will require EAR to
foster relationships between government agencies. Multidisciplinary
projects can benefit from partnerships between agencies that have different
scientific foci. Collaborative research will help to best use limited resources,
combine skills across the agencies, and probably have more success in transferring
findings to the public.
Sources: NRC
Please send any comments or requests for information to the AGI Government
Affairs Program at govt@agiweb.org.
Contributed by AGI/AAPG Spring 2001 Government Affairs Program
intern, Mary H. Patterson
Posted February 18, 2001
