ELEMENTARY PHYSIOGRAPHY

By V. LUARR

SUMMARY 1 1 THE IMPORTANCE OF EARTH SURFACE PROCESSES 13 11 Introduction, 13 12 Examples of Interconnected Earth Surface Processes, 16 13 New Technologies: Monitoring Earth Surface Processes at High Resolution in Space and Time, 24 14 Study Considerations and Report Structure, 28 15 Closing Remarks, 32 2 GRAND CHALLENGES IN EARTH SURFACE PROCESSES 35 21 What Does Our Planet’s Past Tell Us About Its Future?, 35 22 How Do Geopatterns on Earth’s Surface Arise and What Do They Tell Us About Processes?, 42 23 How Do Landscapes Influence and Record Climate and Tectonics?, 50 24 How Does the Biogeochemical Reactor of the Earth’s Surface Respond to and Shape Landscapes from Local to Global Scales?, 61 25 What Are the Transport Laws That Govern the Evolution of the Earth’s Surface?, 68 26 How Do Ecosystems and Landscapes Coevolve?, 78 27 What Controls Landscape Resilience to Change?, 83 28 How Will Earth’s Surface Evolve in the “Anthropocene”?, 93 29 How Can Earth Surface Science Contribute Toward a Sustainable Earth Surface?, 102 Contents 3 FOUR HIGH-PRIORITY RESEARCH INITIATIVES IN EARTH SURFACE PROCESSES 109 31 Interacting Landscapes and Climate, 109 32 Quantitative Reconstruction of Landscape Dynamics Across Time Scales, 112 33 The Coevolution of Ecosystems and Landscapes, 113 34 The Future of Landscapes in the “Anthropocene,” 114 35 Summary, 116 4 MECHANISMS FOR DEVELOPING INITIATIVES AND SUSTAINING GROWTH IN EARTH SURFACE PROCESSES 119 41 Federal Research Framework, 119 42 Other Partnerships, 122 43 Data Collection and Distribution, Modeling, Tool Development, and Community Research Facilities and Sites, 123 44 Developing the High-Priority Research Initiatives, 128 REFERENCES 133