dations of Opportunities for Research in the Geological Sciences 1 and Research
Briefings, 2 EAR created a variety of cross-disciplinary programs, including
Instrumentation and Facilities and Continental Dynamics.
The National Research Council published its last major assessment of Earth
science in 1993. Solid-Earth Science and Society 3 documented progress in Earth
science, its technology drivers, the status of its constituent disciplines, a host of
significant unsolved problems, and many outstanding research opportunities. It
also articulated the fundamental importance of Earth science in a globalized,
high-technology society. Much of what it said seven years ago remains fresh and
applicable today.
In conducting this study, the committee found it necessary to survey a wide
range of topics across a broad spectrum of disciplines, which required input from
many individuals and groups. Before its first meeting, the committee sponsored
symposia at the annual Geological Society of America and American
Geophysical Union meetings. Presenters were asked to provide a 10-year vision
of the research opportunities in their field. In addition, the committee requested
the following information from department heads at universities and colleges,
professional societies, and federal agencies with a significant Earth science
component:
• the 10-year outlook for the Earth sciences, including possible linkages
with other disciplines;
• the scale of activities suitable for conducting Earth science, including the
roles of individual investigators, major facilities, and “system-level”
research; and
• the programmatic mechanisms and level of funding needed from the NSF
and other agencies.
Federal agencies with major Earth science programs—the National Science
Foundation, U.S. Geological Survey, Department of Energy, and National
Aeronautics and Space Administration—also provided programmatic information
and “lessons learned” from past collaborations. Finally, the committee reviewed a
variety of workshop reports and white papers, which were sponsored by NSF
and/or professional societies in the past two years. The titles of workshop reports
and symposia abstracts and the names of
1 NRC, Opportunities for Research in the Geological Sciences.
National Academy Press, Washington, D.C., 95 pp., 1983.
2 NRC, Research Briefings 1983. National Academy Press, Washington, D.C., 99 pp.,
1983.
3 NRC, Solid-Earth Sciences and Society. National Academy Press, Washington, D.C.,
346pp., 1993.
PREFACE
x
About this PDF file: This new digital representation of the
original work has been recomposed from XML files created
from the original
paper book, not from the original
typesetting files. Page breaks are true to the original; line lengths,
word breaks, heading styles, and other typesetting-specific
formatting, however, cannot be retained,
and some typographic errors may have been accidentally
inserted. Please use the print version of this publication
as the authoritative
version for attribution.
Briefings, 2 EAR created a variety of cross-disciplinary programs, including
Instrumentation and Facilities and Continental Dynamics.
The National Research Council published its last major assessment of Earth
science in 1993. Solid-Earth Science and Society 3 documented progress in Earth
science, its technology drivers, the status of its constituent disciplines, a host of
significant unsolved problems, and many outstanding research opportunities. It
also articulated the fundamental importance of Earth science in a globalized,
high-technology society. Much of what it said seven years ago remains fresh and
applicable today.
In conducting this study, the committee found it necessary to survey a wide
range of topics across a broad spectrum of disciplines, which required input from
many individuals and groups. Before its first meeting, the committee sponsored
symposia at the annual Geological Society of America and American
Geophysical Union meetings. Presenters were asked to provide a 10-year vision
of the research opportunities in their field. In addition, the committee requested
the following information from department heads at universities and colleges,
professional societies, and federal agencies with a significant Earth science
component:
• the 10-year outlook for the Earth sciences, including possible linkages
with other disciplines;
• the scale of activities suitable for conducting Earth science, including the
roles of individual investigators, major facilities, and “system-level”
research; and
• the programmatic mechanisms and level of funding needed from the NSF
and other agencies.
Federal agencies with major Earth science programs—the National Science
Foundation, U.S. Geological Survey, Department of Energy, and National
Aeronautics and Space Administration—also provided programmatic information
and “lessons learned” from past collaborations. Finally, the committee reviewed a
variety of workshop reports and white papers, which were sponsored by NSF
and/or professional societies in the past two years. The titles of workshop reports
and symposia abstracts and the names of
1 NRC, Opportunities for Research in the Geological Sciences.
National Academy Press, Washington, D.C., 95 pp., 1983.
2 NRC, Research Briefings 1983. National Academy Press, Washington, D.C., 99 pp.,
1983.
3 NRC, Solid-Earth Sciences and Society. National Academy Press, Washington, D.C.,
346pp., 1993.
PREFACE
x
About this PDF file: This new digital representation of the
original work has been recomposed from XML files created
from the original
paper book, not from the original
typesetting files. Page breaks are true to the original; line lengths,
word breaks, heading styles, and other typesetting-specific
formatting, however, cannot be retained,
and some typographic errors may have been accidentally
inserted. Please use the print version of this publication
as the authoritative
version for attribution.