Note: Background information and history about earth sciences at the NRC and BESR’s early history were kindly provided by Dr. Tom Usselman.;xNLx;;xNLx;The Board on Earth Sciences and Resources (BESR) coordinates the National Research Council's activities on solid-earth science issues and organizes and oversees studies of important national issues in the earth sciences. The Board oversees the following standing committees:;xNLx;;xNLx;-Committee on Earth Resources;xNLx;-Geographical Sciences Committee;xNLx;-Committee on Geological and Geotechnical Engineering;xNLx;-Mapping Science Committee;xNLx;-Committee on Seismology and Geodynamics;xNLx;;xNLx;The Board and its standing committees serve as the focus for interaction with agencies; as a consequence of this interaction, multidisciplinary ad hoc study committees are established under the auspices of the Board or its standing committees to provide advice as identified by statements of task.;xNLx;;xNLx;Through its activities, the Board identifies opportunities for advancing basic research and understanding of earth science information for policy decisions, reports on the applications of earth sciences to important societal issues, and addresses the overall health of research and education programs related to earth sciences and resources issues. The Board and its committees also serve as fora for discussions and exchange of information among scientists, engineers, and policy makers from government, universities, and industry.
~1900-1950: Earth science and resource activities at the National Research Council (NRC) were scattered across the institution until around the 1950s. Until that time, the only continuing earth science-related activities were the U.S. National Committees (e.g., International Union of Geological Sciences; USNC-IUGS; International Union of Geodesy and Geophysics, IUGG).
~1950-1960: The 1950s saw the advent of the 1957-1958 International Geophysical Year (IGY). The U.S. IGY component was administered through a special office of the NRC. The new National Science Foundation directly provided almost 80% of their initial funding to this NRC office for the IGY. The organizational results of this IGY effort largely led to the formation of many continuing activities in the NRC (Ocean Studies Board, Polar Research Board, Space Studies Board, Geophysics Research Board (GRB), and strengthening of many existing committees). At about the same time the NRC also established the Office of Earth Sciences (OES).
The OES led the USNC-IUGS and housed the Committee on Seismology. The GRB included activities in geophysical data management, solar-terrestrial research, and geodesy. In the mid 1970s, the GRB also established the Geophysics Study Committee for multidisciplinary issues. In another part of the NRC, a body was established to oversee earth resource issues—amongst the boards that this body oversaw was the Board on Mineral and Energy Resources (BMER).
With a large number of earth science issues addressed in various offices, boards, and committees, different parts of the organization began to discuss a more focused place for earth science activities overall. The OES oversaw a report, Opportunities for Research in the Geological Sciences (ORGS) (1983), which resulted in OES having most of their activities elevated to the Board on Earth Sciences (BES). The BES operated several ad hoc committees and a standing committee to review earth science at the USGS, with a subcommittee that addressed earthquake research. That subcommittee became the advisory group for the National Earthquake Hazards Program.
Dr. Frank Press, President of the National Academy of Sciences from 1981-1993, recognized that many of the issues being addressed by the institution crossed disciplinary boundaries and encouraged integration across the NRC. As part of that vision for the earth sciences, he promoted the combination of the BES, GRB, and BMER into a single entity, the Board on Earth Sciences and Resources (BESR), which was formally created in 1988.
The tradition of working on earth resource issues continued under BESR’s oversight with the report, Land Use Planning and Oil and Gas Leasing on Onshore Federal Lands. The report was developed in response to a congressional mandate in the Federal Onshore Oil and Gas Leasing Reform Act of 1987.
This book reviews the consideration of oil and gas leasing in the land use planning processes of the Bureau of Land Management and Forest Service. Problems in land use planning that are caused by current leasing practices and the availability and reliability of information at the planning stage are identified. The interrelation between oil and gas leasing decisions and the land use planning process for federal lands is also addressed.
The review of USGS activities continued under BESR and expanded to include a separate committee to review USGS’ National Mapping Division. The 1990 report, Spatial Data Needs: The Future of the National Mapping Program, provided guidance to the USGS on mapping and geography issues, and was followed in 1991 with a report specifically focusing on research and development in the USGS National Mapping Division. As the Mapping Science Committee, a BESR standing committee, began these first reports, it became clear that “mapping” issues also extended across many other federal agencies.
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has an exceptional opportunity to contribute significantly to the overall economy of the United States by becoming proactive in managing spatially referenced digital data. This report supports that statement by providing information on the technological transformation that has occurred in recent years related to the integration, processing, and display of spatial data for the purposes of making decisions.
Developments in the Persian Gulf placed renewed interest in the way in which the Department of the Interior assessed undiscovered crude oil and natural gas in the United States. BESR’s continuous engagement in natural hazards issues and particularly, earthquake hazards, was also launched with Real-Time Earthquake Monitoring. The importance of data and their management was also demonstrated with the first of numerous BESR reports on managing data in 1991-92.
The report addresses the need of the USGS to expand its mapping research program. This research would include a balance of production and processing of spatially referenced digital data in the face of changing user needs and evolving technology.
When the U.S. Department of the Interior released its 1989 estimates of how much undiscovered oil and gas remain in the United States, a controversy ensued. This book evaluates the scientific credibility of the statistical and geological methods underlying the estimates.
A panel was established to investigate the subject of real-time earthquake monitoring (RTEM) and suggest recommendations on the feasibility of using a real-time earthquake warning system to mitigate earthquake damage in regions of the United States.
The report describes a strategy to manage data and information to meet the needs of the U.S. Global Change Research Program.
This book is a summary of the Forum held to review the USGCRP program plan, Describing Global Change: A Plan for Global Change Data and Information. The forum provided an arena for active researchers to critically examine the Plan and to identify and debate data and information management issues.
Two landmark reports this year—Towards a Coordinated Spatial Data Infrastructure (TCSDI) and Solid Earth Sciences and Society—established comprehensive visions for mapping sciences and earth sciences, respectively, across the federal government. TCSDI resulted in a Presidential Executive Order, realignment of many federal programs, and a change in how the private sector structured activities.
As environmental problems move upward on the public agenda, our knowledge of the earth’s systems and how to sustain the habitabillity of our world becomes more critical. This volume reports on the state of earth science and outlines a research agenda, with priorities keyed to real-world challenges facing society.
The National Spatial Data Infrastructure (NSDI) is the means to assemble geographic information that describes the arrangement and attributes of features on the Earth. This report suggests the need to make the NSDI more robust. The infrastructure includes the materials, technology, and people necessary to acquire, process, store, and distribute such information to meet a wide variety of needs.
The book provides a comprehensive review of geomagnetism and describes the scope of the science and its interdisciplinary importance. It explores a wide range of synergistic linkages in geophysical research and associated applications related to the geomagnetic field, as well as corresponding challenges and opportunities.
This year saw the release of several reports that addressed global and U.S. data for climate and global change, and further work regarding the National Spatial Data Infrastructure in both 1994 and 1995.
The volume develops a research plan to study and monitor Mount Rainier, an active Cascade volcano located about 35 km southeast of the Seattle-Tacoma metropolitan area. Also addressed are issues of communication and coordination among geoscientists, social scientists, planners, and responsible authorities, so that research results can be used to support hazard reduction efforts.
In this review of the World Data Center-A (WDC-A) for Meteorology and the National Climatic Data Center (NCDC), both the delivery of orders of magnitude more data than in the past and the manner in which these data are archived present challenges to the community. The report focuses on the operations of both the NCDC and the WDC-A and their effectiveness in serving their broad spectrum of users.
The book presents what researchers know and do not know about the base (or natural) level of surficial fluxes and their dynamics and identifies future research directions. 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.
Cooperation and partnerships for spatial data activities among the federal government, state and local governments, and the private sector will be essential for the development of a robust National Spatial Data Infrastructure (NSDI). This book addresses the nature of these partnerships and examines factors that could optimize their success.
Six reports issued this year displayed the potential breadth of the need for earth science information and guidance. The reoprts addressed issues including global change and its effects on ancient life, airborne geophysics, National Spatial Data Infrastructure, seismological research for comprehensive test-ban monitoring, and research programs at the U.S. Bureau of Mines.
Spatial data are expensive to generate, maintain, and integrate with other data. No individual federal, state, or local agency can effectively respond to all possible needs in this ara. The report identifies a foundation that provides a common reference system for the generation and exchange of spatial data.
To address issues of the global environment, it is essential to have a sound scientific understanding of the Earth and its constituent elements. The research required to attain that understanding vitally depends on observations and processed data on all aspects of the system and from all parts of the globe.
The Global Positioning System, with its capability for both precisely positioning and navigating an aircraft, has created new scientific opportunities for studying the earth. This book examines the state of the art in airborne geophysics as integrated with new precise positioning systems, and it outlines the scientific goals of focused effort in airborne geophysics, including advances in our understanding of solid earth processes, global climate change, the environment, and resources.
The primary focus of the book is to explore how basic seismological research and test ban monitoring can be mutually beneficial. Specifically, this study addresses: (1) the desirable characteristics and capabilities of seismic monitoring stations; (2) recommendations on the flow paths and handling of the data, which are to be unclassified; and (3) the types and extent of research that will be needed in the next decade.
With the closure of the U.S. Bureau of Mines in 1995, the importance of fossil and non-fuel mineral resources and society was made more evident in the release of three reports in 1996 addressing these issues. This year also saw the release of a comprehensive volume on Rock Fractures and Fluid Flow that became a textbook mainstay in many university classrooms.
The Department of Energy’s Resrvoir Class Field Demonstration Program is designed to help sustain domestic production by decreasing the rate of abandonment of marginal oil wells and fields. This report addresses two questions about the program: (1) Has it proven effective in demonstrating the application of new and existing technologies to prolong production in marginal fields? (2) How should this program be modified to improve its effectiveness in meeting this goal?
The USGS developed a five-year Mineral Resource Surveys Program (MRSP) that represented a departure from the previous way in which mineral resource work was conducted at the Survey. The USGS requested that the National Research Council (NRC) conduct a study to evaluate the MRSP Plan, and provide recommendations as to modifications to improve its effectiveness.
Seismologists were among the first scientists to exploit the capabilities of advanced computing technology. The book identifies the major computational challenges in seismology, assesses specific research areas where emerging technologies may be decisive, and assesses what is needed from technology to meet these computational challenges.
The report is a comprehensive assessment of the state of the science of fluid flow in rock fractures. Specifically, the volume addresses identification and characterization of hydraulically conductive fractures; flow and transport in fracture systems; and prediction and control of changes in fracture. The report includes information on the geomechanics of fracture formation, methods for detecting subsurface fractures, and the use of hydraulic and tracer tests to investigate fluid flow.
Six reports released again in 1997 highlighted issues in geophyics (satellite gravity, seismic hazard analysis, test ban treaty monitoring), spatial data, and sedimentary basins, and saw the start of what would become an integral part of BESR’s portfolio in the geographical sciences (Rediscovering Geography…)
The report provides an independent interactive review of the results of Senior Seismic Hazard Analysis Committee’s report which provided a current procedure for obtaining reproducible results from the application of probabilistic seismic hazard analysis principles.
The science of geography is being rediscovered by scientists, policymakers, and educators to address a range of political, economic, and environmental issues around the globe. This report presents a broad overview of geography's importance in a changing world and illustrates geography's impact on issues such as international trade, environmental change, population growth, information infrastructure, the condition of cities, and the spread of AIDS.
This volume identifies specific research activities that will be needed if the United States is to effectively monitor compliance with the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty provisions.
The goal of NASA’s Earth Science Enterprise (ESE) is to enhance understanding of the earth system and its processes at a variety of temporal and spatial scales. To manage the data generated from the ESE, NASA is creating a federation of partners. The workshop examined the federation concept, compared different governance models, and offered some lessons for managing scientific data in an ESE federation.
The report reviews a draft report of the Department of Energy’s analysis of mining activities causing seismic activity that may interfere with the seismic monitoring of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty for nuclear explosions.
Data management in distributed archive centers and distributed geolibraries balanced continued interest in hardrock mining on federal lands, a report developed as a result of a congressional mandate, and in energy resources.
NASA’s Distributed Active Archive Centers (DAACs) are a key part of the Earth Observing System Data and Information Systems (EOSDIS). The report focuses on the scientific need for a coherent system of DAACs, the importance of strategic planning in routine data center operations, and the need for flexibility, vision, and leadership as EOSDIS evolves.
The Energy Resources Program (ERP) at the USGS plays a critical role in performing research to understand fossil and other energy resources and conducts assessments on their future availability. The report is a review of the ERP and considers the mission of the program, its role, its balance, its effectiveness, and future directions.
A distributed geolibrary would supply users with information in response to a geographically defined need. In developing a vision for distributed geolibraries of the future, the report outlines a series of technical challenges as well as institutional and social issues that need to be addressed.
In response to a congressional mandate, this report examines the adequacy of the regulatory framework for mining of hardrock minerals--such as gold, silver, copper, and uranium--on over 350 million acres of federal lands in the western United States. Specific areas for improving the way the laws are implemented and to address regulatory gaps are addressed.
In addition to important reports that reviewed NASA’s Earth Science Enterprise and the USGS Volvano Hazards Program, the report Basic Research Opportunities in Earth Science (BROES) had a significant impact on the way in which the National Science Foundation oriented its earth science research initiatives.
Noninvasive characterization of the subsurface is important for many applications. Looking at the issues from the commercial and public perspectives, the report makes recommendations for linking characterization and cost savings, closing the gap between science and practice, developing and disseminating new methods, and helping practitioners use the best methods.
Three components of hazards mitigation: (1) research and hazard assessment, (2) monitoring, and (3) crisis response and other forms of outreach are cconducted by the USGS Volcano Hazards Program. The report reviews these components and cross-cutting programmatic issues such as staffing levels, data formats, and partnerships.
This vision document for the National Science Foundation offers research directions and imperatives in the earth sciences. The agenda for the next decade of basic research is to explore the planet—decipher its history, understand its current behavior, and predict its future—by exploiting and extending capabilities in techniques for reading the geological record, observing active earth processes, and making realistic simulations of dynamic geosystems.
A coal waste impoundment breakthrough in Kentucky led to a congressional mandate for BESR to address practices and standards for these structures. Other reports this year included focus on the National Spatial Data Infrastructure, mining technologies, and a review of EarthScope. The latter review of NSF-specific components of EarthScope was designed to help the program in its early stages.
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