SGER: Development of Community Networking and Outreach for GeoSystems

地球系统是一项以社区为基础的发展中举措，其重点是以气候为重点，从深层时间视角了解地球大气层、水圈、生物圈和地表岩石圈的复杂性。地球系统倡议有可能促进在地球气候和相关系统的研究和教育方面取得迅速和创新的进展，但需要在以下方面作出协调一致的努力：(1)与地球信息学的其他倡议(如时序)建立联系，在相互关联的专题上结成联盟，并开始制定适合于挖掘和连接大型数据库的工具，(2)建立地球系统研究人员社区并促进这一社区内的合作，以及(3)发起旨在开展地球系统教育和地球信息学在这一努力中的作用的外联工作。为了开始实现这些目标，需要资金用于讲习班和会议，以及通过开发地球系统网站和相关材料(时事通讯、小册子等)传播信息。智力上的价值--最终，这些努力将增进我们对地球气候及其相关系统的了解，扩大我们对气候系统行为、阈值、反馈、非线性以及对气候建模和预测产生积极影响的掌握。广泛影响--计划的外展和教育努力将利用地球历史上保存的可标记的地球系统耦合和生物影响，这些活动激发了所有人--大学教授--到小学--的想象力，从而为各级科学教育提供了理想的素材。

GeoSystems is a developing community-based initiative that focuses on the importanceof the deep-time perspective for understanding the complexities of Earth's atmosphere,hydrosphere, biosphere and surficial lithosphere using climate as the focus. The GeoSystemsinitiative holds the potential to catalyze rapid and innovative progress in research and educationon Earth's climate and related systems, but will require concerted effort in (1) networking withother initiatives in Geoinformatics (e.g. CHRONOS), to forge alliances on topics of mutualrelevance and begin to formulate tools appropriate for mining and linking large databases, (2)building the community of GeoSystems researchers and stimulating collaboration within thatcommunity, and (3) initiating outreach efforts aimed at education in GeoSystems and the role ofGeoinformatics in this effort. To begin to realize these objectives, funds are requested forworkshops and meetings, and information dissemination via development of the GeoSystemswebsite and related materials (newsletters, brochures, etc.).Intellectual Merit--Ultimately, these efforts will augment our understanding of Earth'sclimate and related systems, expanding our grasp of climate-system behavior, thresholds,feedbacks, nonlinearity, and positively impacting climate modeling and prediction.Broader Impact-Planned outreach and education efforts will capitalize on theremarkable Earth-system couplings and biotic impacts preserved in Earth history, which capturethe imaginations of all-- the university professor to the grade-schooler-- and thus provide idealfodder for science education at all levels.