Coordination Funds

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The EarthShape priority program defines four testable hypotheses centered on quantifying the influence of biota on Earth surface processes. We do this by creating a unique opportunity for interdisciplinary research that spans traditional boundaries between the geosciences, biology, geomorphology, and soil science. This coordination project provides the administrative backbone required for hypothesis testing, and fostering an interdisciplinary research atmosphere for future Earth surface processes research in Germany. The challenges involved include: a) maintaining and providing essential instrumentation, drilling activities, and data sets required for many EarthShape subprojects; b) coordinating field work, permits, and international collaborations in remote field areas in Chile; c) ensuring the development and mobility of young-scientists, gender equality measures, and project meetings; and d) project integration through synthesis publications. Key goals to make the EarthShape project a successful Priority Program have been identified by the coordinators and steering committee as important ingredients for the second three-year phase. These goals have emerged from phase 1 research, and complement its findings with new studies of the biosphere, geophysics, and critical zone processes in the shallow and deeper subsurface. In particular, this phase of EarthShape includes a coordinated drilling campaign of the deeper critical zone in the four primary study sites. We also also emphasize essential requirements for individual projects that we request the panel consider for the successful completion of the EarthShape project. These requirements include: a) the need for participants to address the research clusters and timescale bridging that are outlined in the original EarthShape scientific proposal; b) linking of investigators from distinctly different disciplines to foster interdisciplinary research; c) the need for participants to work within (or very near) all selected focus study areas to enable a cross comparison and integration of results from different projects; and d) the involvement of the Chilean scientific community.