Future perspectives in astronomy and the earth sciences

Wang

2006

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Section: Christmas 2005 Astronomy and Earth Sciencementioning

confidence: 99%

Emerging frontiers in the physical sciences

Wang

2006

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“…As can be seen in the table, the previous Triennial Issues devoted to astronomy and Earth science appeared in 2002 and 2005; details of the emerging series and its contents are given by Thompson (2002) and Thompson & Wang (2005). The interest of the Research Councils is mirrored by Morgan & Thompson (2002).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Introduction. Progress in Earth science and climate studies

2008

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In this introductory paper, I review the 'visions of the future' articles prepared by top young scientists for the second of the two Christmas 2008 Triennial Issues of Phil. Trans. R. Soc. A, devoted respectively to astronomy and Earth science. Topics covered in the Earth science issue include: trace gases in the atmosphere; dynamics of the Antarctic circumpolar current; a study of the boundary between the Earth's rocky mantle and its iron core; and two studies of volcanoes and their plumes. A final section devoted to ecology and climate covers: the mathematical modelling of plant-soil interactions; the effects of the boreal forests on the Earth's climate; the role of the past palaeoclimate in testing and calibrating today's numerical climate models; and the evaluation of these models including the quantification of their uncertainties.Keywords: atmosphere and oceans; Earth's mantle; volcanoes; ecology; climate changeBy virtue of the three-yearly cycling through the physical sciences established in 2002 (table 1), the collection of articles by young scientists for Christmas 2008 is devoted to astronomy and Earth science. This year, these are spread between two issues of the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A to reflect the higher frequency of the journal that increased from 12 to 24 issues per year in January 2008. The present paper introduces the second of these two issues devoted to Earth science. The first three papers are devoted to the Earth's atmosphere, oceans and mantle. First, Palmer (2008) looks at the quantification of the sources and sinks of trace gases in the atmosphere using space-borne measurements. He describes how new technology is now allowing us to observe surface air pollutants and climate-relevant trace gases in the lower troposphere, where we live and breathe. He reviews the techniques for measuring the atmosphere from space, and how the measurements can be used to infer the surface sources and sinks. This knowledge improves our fundamental understanding of the Earth's climate system and aids the mitigation of surface air pollution and greenhouse gases. Next, Thompson (2008) examines eddies and jets in the Antarctic circumpolar current (ACC). This is the longest and strongest oceanic current on Earth, but remains one of the most poorly represented components of global climate models. Difficulties are associated with the role of mesoscale eddies and jets, the oceanic equivalents of atmospheric storms. Moreover, the dynamics of energetic eddies and topographically steered jets may both temper and enhance the sensitivity of different aspects of the ACC's circulation to the changes in climate. In the last of the opening papers, Wookey & Dobson (2008) explore the boundary between the Earth's rocky mantle and iron core. Lying almost 2900 km below the surface, this is physically the most significant region in the Earth's interior. It may be the terminus for subducted surface material, the source of mantle plumes and a controller of the Earth's magnetic field. It also has a great s...

“…As we can see, the previous Triennial Issues devoted to astronomy and Earth science appeared in 2002 and 2005; details of the emerging series and its contents being given by Thompson (2002) and Thompson & Wang (2005). The interest of the Research Councils is reflected by Morgan & Thompson (2002).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Introduction. Progress in astronomy: from gravitational waves to space weather

2008

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This brief paper introduces and reviews the 'visions of the future' articles prepared by leading young scientists throughout the world for the first of two Christmas 2008 Triennial issues of Phil. Trans. R. Soc. A, devoted, respectively, to astronomy and Earth science. Contributions in astronomy include the very topical gamma-ray bursts, new ideas on stellar collapse and the unusual atmospheres of synchronized planets orbiting nearby stars.Keywords: black holes; gravitational waves; gamma-ray bursts; stellar collapse; supernovae; extrasolar planetsThe collection of articles by young researchers for Christmas 2008 is devoted, by virtue of the triennial cycling (table 1) through the physical sciences established in 2002, to astronomy and Earth science. These are now spread between two issues of Phil. Trans. R. Soc. A to reflect the higher frequency of the journal, which stepped up from 12 to 24 issues per year in January 2008. The present introductory paper relates to the first of these two issues devoted to astronomy. Here, the first two papers are at the cosmic end of the size scale. In the first paper, Gair (2008) describes how researchers should soon be able to detect gravitational waves for the first time, opening up new horizons in astronomy. These waves, predicted by Einstein's General Theory of Relativity should be observable with a new generation of laser interferometers, some of which are already in operation. Astronomers will then be able to probe some of the most exotic and energetic events in the Universe associated with the merging of black holes, and make very precise checks on the theory of relativity in a new physical arena. In the second paper, Baugh (2008) explains how cosmologists regularly generate synthetic universes of galaxies using computer simulations, and discusses the different physical processes that the models must attempt to mirror. The results facilitate the analysis and exploitation of real galaxy surveys.The next three papers are devoted to gamma-ray bursts and high-energy cosmic rays. The gamma-ray bursts are the most energetic explosions in the Universe, occurring at cosmological distances. Discovered in the 1960s as brief