National Academies Press: OpenBook

Material Fluxes on the Surface of the Earth (1994)

Chapter: Front Matter

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1994. Material Fluxes on the Surface of the Earth. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/1992.
×

STUDIES IN GEOPHYSICS

Material Fluxes on the Surface of the Earth

Board on Earth Sciences and Resources

Commission on Geosciences, Environment, and Resources

National Research Council

NATIONAL ACADEMY PRESS
Washington, D.C. 1994

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1994. Material Fluxes on the Surface of the Earth. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/1992.
×

NATIONAL ACADEMY PRESS
2101 Constitution Avenue, N.W. Washington, DC 20418

NOTICE: The project that is the subject of this report was approved by the Governing Board of the National Research Council, whose members are drawn from the councils of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine. The members of the committee responsible for the report were chosen for their special competencies and with regard for appropriate balance.

This report has been reviewed by a group other than the authors according to procedures approved by a Report Review Committee consisting of members of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine.

The National Academy of Sciences is a private, nonprofit, self-perpetuating society of distinguished scholars engaged in scientific and engineering research, dedicated to the furtherance of science and technology and to their use for the general welfare. Upon the authority of the charter granted to it by the Congress in 1863, the Academy has a mandate that requires it to advise the federal government on scientific and technical matters. Dr. Bruce Alberts is president of the National Academy of Sciences.

The National Academy of Engineering was established in 1964, under the charter of the National Academy of Sciences, as a parallel organization of outstanding engineers. It is autonomous in its administration and in the selection of its members, sharing with the National Academy of Sciences the responsibility for advising the federal government. The National Academy of Engineering also sponsors engineering programs aimed at meeting national needs, encourages education and research, and recognizes the superior achievements of engineers. Dr. Robert M. White is president of the National Academy of Engineering.

The Institute of Medicine was established in 1970 by the National Academy of Sciences to secure the services of eminent members of appropriate professions in the examination of policy matters pertaining to the health of the public. The Institute acts under the responsibility given to the National Academy of Sciences by its congressional charter to be an adviser to the federal government and, upon its own initiative, to identify issues of medical care, research, and education. Dr. Kennerth I. Shine is president of the Institute of Medicine.

The National Research Council was organized by the National Academy of Sciences in 1916 to associate the broad community of science and technology with the Academy’s purposes of furthering knowledge and of advising the federal government. Functioning in accordance with general policies determined by the Academy, the Council has become the principal operating agency of both the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering in providing services to the government, the public, and the scientific and engineering communities. The Council is administered jointly by both Academies and the Institute of Medicine. Dr. Bruce Alberts and Dr. Robert M. White are chairman and vice chairman, respectively, of the National Research Council.

Support for this activity was provided by the Department of Energy, the National Science Foundation, the U.S. Geological Survey, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Material fluxes on the surface of the earth / Board on Earth Sciences and Resources, Commission on Geosciences, Environment, and Resources, National Research Council.

p. cm.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN 0-309-04745-5

1. Sedimentation and deposition. 2. Weathering. I. National Research Council (U.S.). Board on Earth Sciences and Resources. II. Series.

QE571.M37 1994

551.3—dc20 94-20773

CIP

Copyright 1994 by the National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.

Printed in the United States of America

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1994. Material Fluxes on the Surface of the Earth. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/1992.
×

Panel on Global Surficial Geofluxes

WILLIAM W. HAY,

University of Colorado and

GEOMAR, KIEL,

Germany,

Chairman

JOHN T. ANDREWS,

University of Colorado

VICTOR R. BAKER,

University of Arizona

JACK DYMOND,

Oregon State University

LEE R. KUMP,

Pennsylvania State University

ABRAHAM LERMAN,

Northwestern University

W. R. MARTIN,

Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution

MICHEL MEYBECK,

Universite Pierre et Marie Curie

JOHN D. MILLIMAN,

Virginia Institute of Marine Studies

DAVID K. REA,

University of Michigan

F. L. SAYLES,

Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution

Staff

THOMAS M. USSELMAN, Associate Director

JUDITH ESTEP, Administrative Assistant

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1994. Material Fluxes on the Surface of the Earth. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/1992.
×

Geophysics Study Committee*

BYRON D. TAPLEY,

University of Texas,

Chairman

RICHARD T. BARBER,

Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute

ROBIN BRETT,

U.S. Geological Survey

RALPH J. CICERONE,

University of California, Irvine

RANA A. FINE,

University of Miami

LYNN W. GELHAR,

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

NORMAN F. NESS,

University of Delaware

GEORGE C. REID,

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

ROBERT S. YEATS,

Oregon State University

Staff

THOMAS M. USSELMAN, Associate Director

JUDITH ESTEP, Administrative Assistant

*  

Membership of the Geophysics Study Committee during most of the conduct of the report. The committee is no longer active.

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1994. Material Fluxes on the Surface of the Earth. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/1992.
×

Board on Earth Sciences and Resources

J. FREEMAN GILBERT,

Scripps Institution of Oceanography,

Chair

GAIL M. ASHLEY,

Rutgers University

THURE CERLING,

University of Utah

MARK P. CLOOS,

University of Texas at Austin

NEVILLE G.W. COOK,

University of California, Berkeley

JOEL DARMSTADTER,

Resources for the Future

DONALD J. DEPAOLO,

University of California, Berkeley

MARCO EINAUDI,

Stanford University

NORMAN H. FOSTER, Independent Petroleum Geologist,

Denver

CHARLES G. GROAT,

Louisiana State University

DONALD C. HANEY,

Kentucky Geological Survey

ANDREW H. KNOLL,

Harvard University

PHILIP E. LaMOREAUX,

P.E. LaMoreaux and Associates, Inc.

SUSAN LANDON,

Thomasson Partner Associates, Denver

MARCIA K. McNUTT,

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

J. BERNARD MINSTER,

University of California, San Diego

JILL D. PASTERIS,

Washington University

EDWARD C. ROY, JR.,

Trinity University

Staff

JONATHAN G. PRICE, Director

THOMAS M. USSELMAN, Associate Director

WILLIAM E. BENSON, Senior Program Officer

KEVIN C. CROWLEY, Program Officer

BRUCE B. HANSHAW, Program Officer

ANNE M. LINN, Program Officer

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1994. Material Fluxes on the Surface of the Earth. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/1992.
×

LALLY A. ANDERSON, Staff Assistant

CHARLENE E. ANDERSON, Administrative Assistant

JUDITH ESTEP, Administrative Assistant

SHELLEY MYERS, Project Assistant

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1994. Material Fluxes on the Surface of the Earth. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/1992.
×

Commission on Geosciences, Environment, and Resources

M. GORDON WOLMAN,

The Johns Hopkins University,

Chairman

PATRICK R. ATKINS,

Aluminum Company of America

PETER S. EAGLESON,

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

EDWARD A. FRIEMAN,

Scripps Institution of Oceanography

W. BARCLAY KAMB,

California Institute of Technology

JACK E. OLIVER,

Cornell University

FRANK L. PARKER,

Vanderbilt University

RAYMOND A. PRICE,

Queen's University at Kingston

THOMAS C. SCHELLING,

University of Maryland

LARRY L. SMARR,

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

STEVEN M. STANLEY,

The Johns Hopkins University

VICTORIA J. TSCHINKEL,

Landers and Parson

WARREN WASHINGTON,

National Center for Atmospheric Research

EDITH BROWN WEISS,

Georgetown University Law Center

Staff

STEPHEN RATTIEN, Executive Director

STEPHEN D. PARKER, Associate Executive Director

MORGAN GOPNIK, Assistant Executive Director

JEANETTE SPOON, Administrative Officer

SANDI FITZPATRICK, Administrative Associate

ROBIN ALLEN, Senior Project Assistant

Page viii Cite
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1994. Material Fluxes on the Surface of the Earth. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/1992.
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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1994. Material Fluxes on the Surface of the Earth. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/1992.
×

Studies in Geophysics*

ENERGY AND CLIMATE

Roger R. Revelle, panel chairman, 1977, 158 pp.

ESTUARIES, GEOPHYSICS, AND THE ENVIRONMENT

Charles B. Officer, panel chairman, 1977, 127 pp.

CLIMATE, CLIMATIC CHANGE, AND WATER SUPPLY

James R. Wallis, panel chairman, 1977, 132 pp.

THE UPPER ATMOSPHERE AND MAGNETOSPHERE

Francis S. Johnson, panel chairman, 1977, 168 pp.

GEOPHYSICAL PREDICTIONS

Helmut E. Landsberg, panel chairman, 1978, 215 pp.

IMPACT OF TECHNOLOGY ON GEOPHYSICS

Homer E. Newell, panel chairman, 1979, 136 pp.

CONTINENTAL TECTONICS

B. Clark Burchfiel, Jack E. Oliver, and Leon T. Silver, panel co-chairmen, 1980, 197 pp.

MINERAL RESOURCES: GENETIC UNDERSTANDING FOR PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS

Paul B. Barton, Jr., panel chairman, 1981, 119 pp.

SCIENTIFIC BASIS OF WATER-RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

Myron B. Fiering, panel chairman, 1982, 127 pp.

SOLAR VARIABILITY, WEATHER, AND CLIMATE

John A. Eddy, panel chairman, 1982, 104 pp.

CLIMATE IN EARTH HISTORY

Wolfgang H. Berger and John C. Crowell, panel cochairmen, 1982, 198 pp.

*  

Published to date.

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1994. Material Fluxes on the Surface of the Earth. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/1992.
×

FUNDAMENTAL RESEARCH ON ESTUARIES: THE IMPORTANCE OF AN INTERDISCIPLINARY APPROACH

L. Eugene Cronin and Charles B. Officer, panel co-chairmen, 1983, 79 pp.

EXPLOSIVE VOLCANISM: INCEPTION, EVOLUTION, AND HAZARDS

Francis R. Boyd, panel chairman, 1984, 176 pp.

GROUNDWATER CONTAMINATION

John D. Bredehoeft, panel chairman, 1984, 179 pp.

ACTIVE TECTONICS

Robert E. Wallace, panel chairman, 1986, 266 pp.

THE EARTH'S ELECTRICAL ENVIRONMENT

E. Philip Krider and Raymond G. Roble, panel co-chairmen, 1986, 263 pp.

SEA-LEVEL CHANGE

Roger Revelle, panel chairman, 1990, 217 pp.

THE ROLE OF FLUIDS IN CRUSTAL PROCESSES

John D. Bredehoeft and Denis L. Norton, panel co-chairmen, 1990, 170 pp.

MATERIAL FLUXES ON THE SURFACE OF THE EARTH

William W. Hay, panel chairman, 1994, 192 pp.

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1994. Material Fluxes on the Surface of the Earth. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/1992.
×

Preface

This report is part of a series, Studies in Geophysics, that has been carried out over the past 14 years to provide (1) a source of information from the scientific community to aid policymakers in decisions on societal problems that involve geophysics and (2) assessments of emerging research topics within the broad scope of geophysics. An important part of such reports is an evaluation of the adequacy of current geophysical knowledge and the appropriateness of current research programs in addressing needed information.

The study Material Fluxes on the Surface of the Earth is designed to report on the state of knowledge of the major fluxes and pathways by which materials are transferred from one site to another on the surface of the earth. The purpose of the study is to

  1. present the state of knowledge of modern and late Pleistocene process rates and fluxes, including the last glaciation and during the deglaciation, on a global scale;

  2. evaluate the variability inherent in process rates and fluxes in these young geologic times;

  3. assess the extent to which modern measurements of fluxes already incorporate anthropogenic effects;

  4. express variability of natural processes and fluxes in terms of fluctuations and changes occurring on different time scales;

  5. identify gaps in the understanding of the natural variability of surficial processes and material fluxes; and

  6. suggest how the natural variability could be incorporated into the baselines of modern processes to be used in models of future change.

The topic was initiated by the Geophysics Study Committee in consultation with the liaison representatives of the federal agencies that support the committee, relevant boards and committees within the National Research Council, and members of the scientific community. While this report was being completed, the Geophysics Study Committee

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1994. Material Fluxes on the Surface of the Earth. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/1992.
×

ceased operations and its parent Board on Earth Sciences and Resources assumed the responsibility for the completion of this report.

The preliminary scientific findings of the authored background chapters were presented at a symposium during the 28th International Geological Congress in July 1989 in Washington, D.C. In completing their chapters, the authors had the benefit of discussions at this symposium as well as the comments of several scientific referees. Ultimate responsibility for the individual chapters, however, rests with the authors.

The Overview of the study summarizes the highlights of the chapters and formulates conclusions and recommendations. In preparing the Overview, the panel chairman had the benefit of meetings that took place at the symposium, comments of the panel, and the comments of scientists, who reviewed the report according to procedures established by the National Research Council's Report Review Committee. Responsibility for the Overview rests with the Board on Earth Sciences and Resources and the chairman.

Page xiii Cite
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1994. Material Fluxes on the Surface of the Earth. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/1992.
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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1994. Material Fluxes on the Surface of the Earth. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/1992.
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8.

 

Late Quaternary Flux of Eolian Dust to the Pelagic Ocean
David K. Rea, Steven A. Hovan, and Thomas R. Janecek

 

116

9.

 

Particle Fluxes in the Ocean and Implications for Sources and Preservation of Ocean Sediments
Jack Dymond and Mitchell Lyle

 

125

10.

 

Seafloor Diagenetic Fluxes
W.R. Martin and F.L. Sayles

 

143

 

 

INDEX

 

165

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1994. Material Fluxes on the Surface of the Earth. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/1992.
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MATERIAL FLUXES ON THE SURFACE OF THE EARTH

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1994. Material Fluxes on the Surface of the Earth. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/1992.
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Material Fluxes on the Surface of the Earth Get This Book
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Understanding the ebb and flow of materials on the earth's surface is vital to comprehending environmental change. We need to differentiate between those that represent a progression of natural events from those that might be human induced. The latter can be managed by changing policies; the former probably cannot.

This volume presents what researchers know and do not know about the base (or natural) level of surficial fluxes and their dynamics.

Leading experts in the field offer a historical perspective on geofluxes and discuss the cycles of materials on the earth's surface, from weathering processes to the movement of material through the river system and oceans to their deposition.

The committee sets research directions in five areas: shallow-water studies, mapping, rates of change, sample dating, and—most critical—understanding whether human influence can exceed the natural variability in geoflux processes.

This volume will be important reading for geophysical scientists, researchers, faculty, and students, as well as environmental policymakers.

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