Science Opportunities - Basic Research Opportunities in Earth Science - page 25

2
Science Opportunities
This chapter focuses on some specific topics in Earth science that appear to
be ripe for major breakthroughs during the next decade. Six major areas are
discussed, roughly organized according to proximity and scale: (1) the near-
surface environment or “Critical Zone,” (2) geobiology, (3) Earth and planetary
materials, (4) the continents, (5) the deep interior, and (6) the planets. The
committee emphasizes that this is not intended to be a comprehensive list of
exciting areas in Earth science, or to represent the full variety of research
currently sponsored by the Earth Science Division (EAR) of the National Science
Foundation (NSF), but rather to provide key examples of vigorous research areas
from which some important programmatic directions can be discerned. The
committee's findings and recommendations regarding these directions can be
found in Chapter 3 .
THE CRITICAL ZONE: EARTH'S NEAR-SURFACE
ENVIRONMENT
The surface and near-surface environment sustains nearly all terrestrial life.
The rapidly expanding needs of society give special urgency to understanding the
processes that operate within this Critical Zone ( Box 2.1 , Figure 2.1 ).
Population growth and industrialization are putting pressure on the development
and sustainability of natural resources such as soil, water, and energy. Human
activities are increasing the inventory of toxins in the air, water, and land, and are
driving changes in climate and the associated water cycle. An increasing portion
of the population is at risk from landslides, flooding, coastal erosion, and other
natural hazards.