#Geoscience processes series

Geo-logy, the universal laws of the earth, confronts the fact that the earth is a unique individual. In addition, idiosyncratic individuality has always been a problem to geoscience because of the scientific focus on discovering and applying simple general laws (compression, ). 95 This represents a major challenge to geoscience methodology and deserves examination. In the light of her analyses she argues that such models may be confirmed but never validated and urges that they never be used to make long term predictions because these are invariably wrong and thus undermine respect for science and its role in public decision making. The general difficulties will be reviewed in section 5.2 below.

Oreskes provides an examination of complex geoscience modelling, identifying many of the difficulties involved in their use. events occasioning particular tectonic plate fracturing patterns that determine its subsequent cracking, weathering and sliding properties. Similarly, the role of unique events has received rather more attention in geoscience than it has in other sciences, for instance, because of the centrality of the path-dependent dynamics they yield, e.g. Multi-scale modelling has received rather more attention in geoscience than it has in other sciences, for instance, because of the grand spread of interacting process scales typically involved. As modelling of various process dynamics has grown more sophisticated, complex system dynamics has increasingly come to the fore.

#Geoscience processes series

the breakup of super-plates such as Gondwana represent dynamical bifurcations in plate tectonic dynamics, while various rock formation processes such as cracking represent series of phase shifts. Geoscience gained a foundational dynamics of form with the adoption of plate tectonic dynamics and this has subsequently been complemented by a range of process dynamics of the materials involved: magma formation, sedimentation, metamorphosis and like chemo-physical formation and transformation dynamics, together with earthquake, weathering and like physical dynamics (e.g. The division maintains very strong links with the EGU publication committee, and especially with the board of Editors of the open access journal Nonlinear Processes in Geophysics (NPG), an interdisciplinary journal for the publication of original research furthering knowledge on nonlinear processes in all branches of Earth, planetary, and solar system sciences.Cliff Hooker, in Philosophy of Complex Systems, 2011 4.2.3 Geoscience Members of the Division are invited to contribute to the nominations (deadline are every year on the 15th June, see here) for both the NP Division Awards and Medals.

Every year the Lewis Fry Richardson medal is awarded to scientists for their exceptional contributions to nonlinear geosciences in general. As for all EGU Divisions, an Early Career Scientist Award is established also for the NP Division and is given to young researchers who obtained outstanding results in the nonlinear geosciences.

The Division contributes to the EGU Awards & Medals programme. The division is structured into several subdivisions (see the “About” tab above, for the NP Division structure information and reports). Potential contributors to any session are encouraged to evaluate the benefits of a multi-disciplinary organization in collaboration with the corresponding disciplinary Division. Examples include chaos, tipping points, nonlinear waves, similarity across scales (scaling, scale invariance, fractals, multifractals), network theory, nonlinear stochastics, predictability and its limits, pattern formation, self-organized criticality, extreme events, deep learning… The NP division welcomes mathematical and theoretical approaches, as well as applications including new methodologies, new modelling and new data analysis techniques.ĭue to its interdisciplinary character, many of the NP-sessions during the EGU general assemblies are co-organized with sessions from other divisions. The NP division is focused on a series of nonlinear paradigms whose applications cut across the different disciplines of the geosciences (hydrosphere, atmosphere, biosphere, lithosphere, space sphere…). ( Nonlinear Processes in Geosciences (NP) Division is an interdisciplinary division which is concerned with all aspects on nonlinear and stochastic theories, methods and data in the geosciences.