これからの地球科学

次期10年に対する個人的考察

抄録

The strategic justification for supporting scientific activities has largely depending on the understanding that research provided both national security in a time of global hostility involving the improvement of the economy, greater social equity, better health, better race relations, and enhancement of environmental quality, and widespread health benefits. In terms of curriculum in the Earth Sciences, the important point here is that study courses must evolve to accommodate the changing, enlarging body of knowledge as well as the ultimate career needs of the future degree holders. Growing subdisciplines needed in America include hydrology, hydrogeology, neotectonics, continental margin oceanography, engineering geology, geologic hazards, environmental science, aqueous geochemistry, and material sciences. Metamorphic petrologists are especially well-equipped with the fundamental knowledge from physics and chemistry as well as geology to treat the problems society wishes to address and solve. The situation provides us with a natural advantage, but to realize it, we must move our emphasis away from the traditional topics of metamorphic petrology.