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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2020. A Vision for NSF Earth Sciences 2020-2030: Earth in Time. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/25761.
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A Vision for NSF Earth Sciences 2020-2030

EARTH IN TIME

Committee on Catalyzing Opportunities for Research in the Earth Sciences (CORES):
A Decadal Survey for NSF’s Division of Earth Sciences

Board on Earth Sciences and Resources

Division on Earth and Life Studies

A Consensus Study Report of

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THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES PRESS
Washington, DC
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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2020. A Vision for NSF Earth Sciences 2020-2030: Earth in Time. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/25761.
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THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES PRESS 500 Fifth Street, NW Washington, DC 20001

This activity was supported by a grant between the National Academy of Sciences and the National Science Foundation under Grant No. EAR-1823050. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect the views of any organization or agency that provided support for the project.

International Standard Book Number-13: 978-0-309-67600-7
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Front cover: Image of the Pioneer Mountains, Idaho. Courtesy of Donna Whitney.

Suggested citation: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2020. A Vision for NSF Earth Sciences 2020-2030: Earth in Time. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. https://doi.org/10.17226/25761.

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2020. A Vision for NSF Earth Sciences 2020-2030: Earth in Time. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/25761.
×

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The National Academy of Sciences was established in 1863 by an Act of Congress, signed by President Lincoln, as a private, nongovernmental institution to advise the nation on issues related to science and technology. Members are elected by their peers for outstanding contributions to research. Dr. Marcia McNutt is president.

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Learn more about the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine at www.nationalacademies.org.

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2020. A Vision for NSF Earth Sciences 2020-2030: Earth in Time. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/25761.
×

Image

Consensus Study Reports published by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine document the evidence-based consensus on the study’s statement of task by an authoring committee of experts. Reports typically include findings, conclusions, and recommendations based on information gathered by the committee and the committee’s deliberations. Each report has been subjected to a rigorous and independent peer-review process and it represents the position of the National Academies on the statement of task.

Proceedings published by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine chronicle the presentations and discussions at a workshop, symposium, or other event convened by the National Academies. The statements and opinions contained in proceedings are those of the participants and are not endorsed by other participants, the planning committee, or the National Academies.

For information about other products and activities of the National Academies, please visit www.nationalacademies.org/about/whatwedo.

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2020. A Vision for NSF Earth Sciences 2020-2030: Earth in Time. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/25761.
×

COMMITTEE ON CATALYZING OPPORTUNITIES FOR RESEARCH IN THE EARTH SCIENCES (CORES): A DECADAL SURVEY FOR NSF’S DIVISION OF EARTH SCIENCES

JAMES A. YODER (Chair), Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, Massachusetts

GREGORY C. BEROZA, Stanford University, Stanford, California

TANJA BOSAK, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge

WILLIAM E. DIETRICH (NAS), University of California, Berkeley

TIMOTHY H. DIXON, University of South Florida, Tampa

ANDREA DUTTON, University of Wisconsin–Madison

DIANA F. ELDER,1 Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff

ALEJANDRO N. FLORES, Boise State University, Boise, Idaho

MICHAEL FOOTE, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois

SHEMIN GE, University of Colorado Boulder

GEORGE E. GEHRELS, University of Arizona, Tucson

DOUGLAS HOLLETT, Melroy & Hollett Technology Partners, Arlington, Virginia

BRUCE HOUGHTON, University of Hawaii at Manoa

KATHARINE W. HUNTINGTON, University of Washington, Seattle

STEVEN D. JACOBSEN, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois

DENNIS V. KENT (NAS), Rutgers University, Piscataway, New Jersey

CAROLINA LITHGOW-BERTELLONI, University of California, Los Angeles

PAUL E. OLSEN (NAS), Columbia University, New York City, New York

DONALD L. SPARKS, University of Delaware, Newark

DONNA L. WHITNEY, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis

National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine Staff

DEBORAH GLICKSON, Study Director

ELIZABETH EIDE, Senior Board Director

SAMMANTHA L. MAGSINO, Senior Program Officer

ERIC J. EDKIN, Program Coordinator

RAYMOND CHAPPETTA, Research Assistant and Senior Program Assistant (until April 2020)

___________________

1 Resigned from the committee.

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2020. A Vision for NSF Earth Sciences 2020-2030: Earth in Time. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/25761.
×

BOARD ON EARTH SCIENCES AND RESOURCES

ISABEL P. MONTAÑEZ (Chair), University of California, Davis

ESTELLA A. ATEKWANA, University of Delaware, Newark

BRENDA B. BOWEN, The University of Utah, Salt Lake City

CHRISTOPHER (SCOTT) CAMERON, Geological Consulting, LLC, Houston, Texas

NELIA W. DUNBAR, New Mexico Bureau of Geology & Mineral Resources, Socorro

RODNEY C. EWING, Stanford University, Stanford, California

CAROL P. HARDEN, The University of Tennessee, Knoxville

ROBERT L. KLEINBERG, Institute for Sustainable Energy, Boston University, Massachusetts

THORNE LAY, University of California, Santa Cruz

ZELMA MAINE-JACKSON, Washington State Department of Ecology, Richland

MICHAEL MANGA, University of California, Berkeley

MARTIN W. MCCANN, Stanford University, Stanford, California

JEFFREY N. RUBIN

JAMES A. SLUTZ, National Petroleum Council, Washington, DC

SHAOWEN WANG, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

ELIZABETH J. WILSON, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire

National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine Staff

ELIZABETH EIDE, Director

ANNE LINN, Scholar

DEBORAH GLICKSON, Senior Staff Officer

SAMMANTHA L. MAGSINO, Senior Staff Officer

NICHOLAS ROGERS, Financial Business Partner

COURTNEY DEVANE, Administrative Coordinator

ERIC EDKIN, Program Coordinator

RAYMOND CHAPPETTA, Research Assistant and Senior Program Assistant (until April 2020)

ELLENI GIORGIS, Program Assistant

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2020. A Vision for NSF Earth Sciences 2020-2030: Earth in Time. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/25761.
×

Reviewers

This Consensus Study Report was reviewed in draft form by individuals chosen for their diverse perspectives and technical expertise. The purpose of this independent review is to provide candid and critical comments that will assist the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine in making each published report as sound as possible and to ensure that it meets the institutional standards for quality, objectivity, evidence, and responsiveness to the charge. The review comments and draft manuscript remain confidential to protect the integrity of the process.

We thank the following individuals for their review of this report:

Susan Brantley (NAS), The Pennsylvania State University

Michelle Coombs, U.S. Geological Survey

Karen Fischer, Brown University

Gordon Grant, U.S. Forest Service

Thorne Lay (NAS), University of California, Santa Cruz

Jennifer Macalady, The Pennsylvania State University

Cathryn Manduca, Carleton College

Lisa Park Boush, University of Connecticut

Roberta Rudnick (NAS), University of California, Santa Barbara

Blair Schoene, Princeton University

Philip Skemer, Washington University in St. Louis

Jane Willenbring, Scripps Institution of Oceanography

Jack Williams, University of Wisconsin–Madison

Although the reviewers listed above provided many constructive comments and suggestions, they were not asked to endorse the content of the report nor did they see the final draft before its release. The review of this report was overseen by Norman Sleep (NAS), Stanford University, and George Hornberger (NAE), Vanderbilt University. They were responsible for making certain that an independent examination of this report was carried out in accordance with the standards of the National Academies and that all review comments were carefully considered. Responsibility for the final content rests entirely with the authoring committee and the National Academies.

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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2020. A Vision for NSF Earth Sciences 2020-2030: Earth in Time. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/25761.
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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2020. A Vision for NSF Earth Sciences 2020-2030: Earth in Time. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/25761.
×

Acknowledgments

Many individuals assisted the committee and the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine staff in their task to create this report. Over the course of five meetings, town halls and listening sessions, and webinars, the committee engaged with interested colleagues in academia, industry, and government. The committee greatly appreciated the chance to learn not only from the participants of these meetings and webinars, but also from each of the respondents to the questionnaire and from the facility operators, who kindly answered many questions.

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2020. A Vision for NSF Earth Sciences 2020-2030: Earth in Time. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/25761.
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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2020. A Vision for NSF Earth Sciences 2020-2030: Earth in Time. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/25761.
×

Preface

I would like to briefly introduce the report with my personal observations as an outsider to the Earth science field, in that my background is in oceanography. However, I spent a few years at both the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and the National Science Foundation, and have served on two other recent decadal surveys—Sea Change: 2015-2025 Decadal Survey of Ocean Sciences and Thriving on Our Changing Planet: A Decadal Strategy for Earth Observation from Space. Because of this, I have experience with the process of developing a decadal report and insights into its potential impact.

During the committee discussions, I was so impressed with the importance of Earth science research. Much of the science was new to me, and I soon learned to appreciate the excitement of Division of Earth Sciences (EAR)-supported research over such a broad range of topics. I also learned just how much of EAR research is at the heart of what society needs to know from scientists: volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, landslides, distribution of essential elements across and below the Earth’s surface, climate change, changes to the global water cycle, and relations between geology and biology, just to mention a few research areas that are reflected in our report’s scientific questions. Such research is not only compelling; it is essential for our well-being here on Earth. As I write this, the committee is working on the final draft of the report during the coronavirus pandemic. Years ago, Dr. Rita Colwell and colleagues demonstrated how environmental processes helped spread the bacteria that caused cholera. Perhaps research that strengthens the connections between Earth sciences and human health may eventually help us to better understand the processes that spread other harmful pathogens.

I was very pleased with how well the committee worked together and how seriously they took their task. There were of course disagreements at times on content, wording, and organization, although these discussions were always professional and with respect for other members’ points of view. In addition, committee members were cognizant of their responsibility to represent the broader Earth science research community and paid close attention to input we received at meetings and from questionnaires, town halls, and listening sessions.

There was the anticipated tension of trying to stay within the task guidance of working with a level EAR budget, and yet have the report reflect an optimistic view of the future. As one would expect, we likely erred a bit on the optimistic side.

On behalf of the committee, I thank those who took the time to meet with the committee and to otherwise provide us with much needed information. Finally, a special thanks goes to the National Academies staff who worked to keep us on time and on message. Without that discipline, this report could not have been written in the time allowed.

James A. Yoder, Chair

Committee on Catalyzing Opportunities for Research in the Earth Sciences (CORES): A Decadal Survey for NSF’s Division of Earth Sciences

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2020. A Vision for NSF Earth Sciences 2020-2030: Earth in Time. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/25761.
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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2020. A Vision for NSF Earth Sciences 2020-2030: Earth in Time. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/25761.
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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2020. A Vision for NSF Earth Sciences 2020-2030: Earth in Time. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/25761.
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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2020. A Vision for NSF Earth Sciences 2020-2030: Earth in Time. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/25761.
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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2020. A Vision for NSF Earth Sciences 2020-2030: Earth in Time. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/25761.
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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2020. A Vision for NSF Earth Sciences 2020-2030: Earth in Time. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/25761.
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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2020. A Vision for NSF Earth Sciences 2020-2030: Earth in Time. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/25761.
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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2020. A Vision for NSF Earth Sciences 2020-2030: Earth in Time. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/25761.
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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2020. A Vision for NSF Earth Sciences 2020-2030: Earth in Time. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/25761.
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Page viii Cite
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2020. A Vision for NSF Earth Sciences 2020-2030: Earth in Time. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/25761.
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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2020. A Vision for NSF Earth Sciences 2020-2030: Earth in Time. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/25761.
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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2020. A Vision for NSF Earth Sciences 2020-2030: Earth in Time. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/25761.
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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2020. A Vision for NSF Earth Sciences 2020-2030: Earth in Time. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/25761.
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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2020. A Vision for NSF Earth Sciences 2020-2030: Earth in Time. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/25761.
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Page xiii Cite
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2020. A Vision for NSF Earth Sciences 2020-2030: Earth in Time. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/25761.
×
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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2020. A Vision for NSF Earth Sciences 2020-2030: Earth in Time. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/25761.
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The Earth system functions and connects in unexpected ways - from the microscopic interactions of bacteria and rocks to the macro-scale processes that build and erode mountains and regulate Earth's climate. Efforts to study Earth's intertwined processes are made even more pertinent and urgent by the need to understand how the Earth can continue to sustain both civilization and the planet's biodiversity.

A Vision for NSF Earth Sciences 2020-2030: Earth in Time provides recommendations to help the National Science Foundation plan and support the next decade of Earth science research, focusing on research priorities, infrastructure and facilities, and partnerships. This report presents a compelling and vibrant vision of the future of Earth science research.

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