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Questions about the origins and nature of Earth have long preoccupied human thought and
the scientific endeavor. Deciphering the planet’s history and processes could improve the ability to predict catastrophes like earthquakes and volcanoes, to manage Earth’s resources, and
to anticipate changes in climate and geologic processes. This report captures, in a series of
questions, the essential scientific challenges that constitute the frontier of Earth science at the
start of the 21st century.
Earth is an active place. Earthquakes rip along
plate boundaries, volcanoes spew fountains of
molten lava, and mountain ranges and seabed are
constantly created and destroyed. Earth scientists have long
been concerned with deciphering the history—and predicting
the future—of this active planet. Over the past four decades,
Earth scientists have made great strides in understanding
Earth’s workings. Scientists have ever-improving tools to
understand how Earth’s internal processes shape the planet’s
surface, how life can be sustained over billions of years,
and how geological, biological, atmospheric, and oceanic
processes interact to produce climate—and climatic change.
At the request of the U.S. Department of Energy, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, National Science Foundation, and U.S. Geological
Survey, the National Research Council assembled a committee to propose and explore grand questions in Earth science. This report, which is the result of the committee’s deliberations and input
solicited from the Earth science community, describes ten “big picture” Earth science issues being
pursued today. Answers to these fundamental questions could profoundly improve understanding
of the planet on which we live and strategies for managing our environment.
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