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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
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
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
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
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
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.
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.
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
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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;
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evaluate the variability inherent in process rates and fluxes in these young geologic times;
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assess the extent to which modern measurements of fluxes already incorporate anthropogenic effects;
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express variability of natural processes and fluxes in terms of fluctuations and changes occurring on different time scales;
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identify gaps in the understanding of the natural variability of surficial processes and material fluxes; and
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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
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.
Contents
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Pleistocene — Holocene Fluxes Are Not the Earth's Norm |
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Surficial Weathering Fluxes and Their Geochemical Controls |
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Global Chemical Weathering on Glacial Time Scales |
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Origin and Variable Composition of Present Day Riverborne Material |
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Geomorphic/Tectonic Control of Sediment Discharge to the Ocean: The Importance of Small Mountainous Rivers |
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Glacial to Modern Changes in Global River Fluxes |
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Sediment Fluxes Along High-Latitude Glaciated Continental Margins: Northeast Canada and Eastern Greenland |
Late Quaternary Flux of Eolian Dust to the Pelagic Ocean |
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Particle Fluxes in the Ocean and Implications for Sources and Preservation of Ocean Sediments |
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Seafloor Diagenetic Fluxes |
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