New vision for the geosciences

The National Science Foundation (NSF)'s Advisory Committee for Geosciences (AC-GEO) has released a new report that calls for re-focusing research in the geosciences in the US.

“For most of its history Earth has experienced vast alterations,” states the report, “in response to natural variations in our planet.” But humans are now emerging as the dominant agent of change it says.

“It is essential going forward that we have the scientific tools and evidence to understand and anticipate how the Earth will be transformed in the future, and at what rate, in response to these growing pressures,” says geoscientist George Davis of the University of Arizona, chair of the AC-GEO.

“To identify these influences and their potential impacts requires an understanding of the Earth, its history, and its systems that’s grounded in basic science,” he adds.

The report recommends that NSF coordinate US research into these areas. “The [NSF] geosciences directorate must engage other NSF directorates and external partners in an ambitious research program that furthers our understanding of Earth, and provides the basis for objective and sound policy formulation and decision-making,” says NSF director Arden L. Bement, Jr.

The challenges ahead for the geosciences, says the report, are:

understanding and forecasting the behavior of a complex and evolving Earth system;reducing vulnerability and sustaining life; andgrowing the geosciences workforce of the future.

“We as geoscientists must work to meet the challenge of understanding [the Earth’s dynamic and complex interactions], and use that knowledge to advance our [governmental] stewardship of its systems,” says Tim Killeen, NSF assistant director for geosciences.

Society as a whole must learn to use a grounded and rational set of guidelines for making decisions regarding environmental and resource management says the report, and “leading many of those discussions will be geoscientists ... who will share their understanding of the Earth system with the public and with decision-makers, providing the scientific knowledge that will ultimately guide society as it comes to understand its evolving relationship with the planet.”

The AC-GEO’s recommendations for NSF’s directorate for geosciences, which has three divisions--atmospheric and geospace sciences ; earth sciences ; and ocean sciences —are to:

Sustain and nurture fundamental geosciences disciplinary programs;Reach out in bold new directions, engaging and incorporating other disciplines;Embrace a culture that recognizes that transformational research involves an element of risk;Invest wisely and responsibly manage the next generation of tools, technologies, and techniques, including advanced computation to enable cutting-edge research;Communicate the critical role the geosciences play in reducing risks from natural hazards;Build effective and enduring partnerships within NSF as well as with other federal agencies, the private sector, international organizations, and with other institutions outside U.S. borders;Recognize the explicit need for the geosciences to adopt the challenge of increasing the resiliency of natural systems;Build bridges between geoscience researchers and the K-12 classroom to promote early childhood and young-adult understanding of geosciences concepts;Create a broad and diverse cadre of geosciences researchers who can use creative approaches to geosciences education and literacy at all levels;Convey central, and potentially pivotal, geosciences research and findings to policymakers and thought leaders for building a sustainable future.

“We as a society face a daunting task,” says Killeen. “Through the help of [this report], we will make great strides in realizing a new vision for the geosciences—and for the future of our planet.

Paul Guinnessy