Earth Science Knowledge Research Articles

A “Pipeline”-Based Approach for Automated Construction of Geoscience Knowledge Graphs

With the development of technology, Earth Science has entered a new era. Continuous research has generated a large amount of Earth Science data, including a significant amount of semi-structured and unstructured data, which contain information about locations, geographical concepts, geological characteristics of mineral deposits, and relationships. Efficient management of these Earth Science data is crucial for the development of digital earth systems, rational planning of resource industries, and resource security. By representing entities, relationships, and attributes through graph structures, knowledge graphs capture and present concepts and facts about the real world, facilitating efficient data management. However, due to the highly specialized and complex nature of Earth Science data and disciplinary differences, the methods used to construct general-purpose knowledge graphs cannot be directly applied to building knowledge graphs in the field of geological science. Therefore, this paper summarizes a “pipeline” approach to constructing an Earth Science knowledge graph in order to clarify the complete construction process and reduce barriers between data and technology. This approach divides the construction of the Earth Science knowledge graph into two parts and designs functional modules under each part to specify the construction process of the knowledge graph. In addition to proposing this approach, a knowledge graph of iron ore deposits is automatically constructed by integrating geographic and geological data related to iron ore deposits using deep learning techniques. The systematic approach presented in this paper reduces the threshold for constructing geological science knowledge graphs, provides methodological support for specific disciplines or research objects in Earth Science, and also lays the foundation for the construction of large-scale Earth Science knowledge graphs that combine crowdsourcing and expert decision-making, as well as the development of intelligent question-answering systems and intelligent decision-making systems covering the entire field of Earth Science.

Utilizing standardized test and certainty of response index (CRI): science olympiad preparation cases

This study focuses on Earth Science Olympiad prepation through assistance activities and utilizing a standardized test known as The Earth Science Standards Test. The assistance activities consisted of ten sessions, including pre-test, face-to-face learning, and post-test. Quantitative methods with a pre-test and post-test design were applied. The study evaluated the increase in students' scores using the N-Gain. Additionally, students were asked to indicate their level of confidence or Certainty of Response Index (CRI). Results revealed that the average pre-test score was low (46.03), suggesting that students' prior knowledge of Earth science was limited. However, after participating in the assistance activities, students demonstrated improvement, as evidenced by the average post-test score (69.29) and a moderate N-Gain score (0.41). Individual student improvements were also classified as moderate, except for one student (E). The study further analyzed the correlation between students' answers and their levels of confidence using either the Pearson test or Spearman's rho. Overall, a significant and strong correlation was observed (r = 0.628, ρ = 0.000). However, only students B, D, and F showed a significant relationship between their post-test scores and CRI. This indicates that the level of student confidence does not guarantee high scores on the test, although this pattern holds true for several students. In conclusion, format of the test used in Olympiad preparation plays a crucial role in students' performance. Further research are recommended to extend the use of standardized tests to assess students' understanding in various science learning and better understand and address factors impacting students' performance and confidence in science learning and olympiad.

Effective environmental education for sustainable development beyond the Plastic Age in South Korea

The skyrocketing single-plastic demand during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic proved the limitation of top-down environmental policies in accomplishing sustainable consumption and waste management. Nevertheless, ‘smart consumers’ can make smart choices for sustainable development. However, a review of the South Korean environmental education curriculum reveals that the current structure heavily leans towards the elementary level and does not enlighten the public on ‘what’ and ‘how’ to live sustainably. This study uses a quick survey to suggest that the effectiveness of environmental education may be enhanced if: (1) guidance on how to live with the natural environment in harmony for collective cooperation towards resilient and sustainable community building is incorporated with a clear purpose, (2) environment-friendly culture-building activities are enforced to institutionalise a new paradigm of sustainability to replace today’s consumerism, and (3) contents are updated regularly to include Earth and environmental science knowledge in the state of art.

Establishment of Earth Science Knowledge Framework for Undergraduates Majoring in Atmospheric Science Based on Geological Knowledge Practice—Research and Practice of Geological Cognition Practice Teaching in Qinhuangdao

Establishment of Earth Science Knowledge Framework for Undergraduates Majoring in Atmospheric Science Based on Geological Knowledge Practice—Research and Practice of Geological Cognition Practice Teaching in Qinhuangdao

Harnessing Project-Based Learning to Enhance STEM Students’ Critical Thinking Skills Using Water Treatment Activity

Water treatment processes are designed to ensure that any pollutant’s adverse effects on the environment are reduced to the minimum allowable discharge limit. Water-literate individuals ought to effectively and constantly think about novel hydrologic concepts to improve the quality and sufficiency of water. Socio-hydrological issues remain the main source of water pollution and insufficiency in society. Therefore, effective water management and treatment require societal understanding. The complexity of water issues requires equipping STEM education students with the necessary knowledge to acquire water solution reasoning skills. However, STEM students need meaningful challenges with everyday connections to capture their interest to apply intuitive understanding in project-based learning. Water-related issues such as high turbidity are ubiquitous problems facing communities. This study specifically explored how project-based learning can be harnessed to enhance STEM students’ critical thinking skills using water treatment activities. The water treatment activity involved the development of novel products using agricultural wastes for efficient water treatment. The social issues associated with agricultural wastes, especially orange and banana peels in the environment, are too obvious to be overlooked; hence, they were chosen as base materials to develop water treatment products. The study adopted an action research design and involved 12 purposively selected third-year Bachelor of Science students majoring in Chemistry at a South African university. The students were divided into two groups consisting of six participants. The researchers implemented team teaching and invoked students’ knowledge of Earth Science, Physics, Chemistry, and Technology to develop and implement laboratory experimental activities and class-based lesson plans. The empirical investigation was underpinned by the Five Steps of Project-Based Learning as the underlying theoretical framework. The chemistry of the processed peels such as particle size and functional groups provided insight into the mechanism responsible for water turbidity reduction. Laboratory experimental results revealed that the turbidity reduction obtained from the use of processed banana peels was higher than the processed orange peels coagulant. However, the performance of both coagulants in turbidity reduction complied with the South African National Standard (SANS241) for drinking water quality.

Monitoring the Health of Our Planet using Earth Observations

A new book explores how Earth science knowledge addresses critical global challenges including sustainable development, disaster risk reduction, and climate change.

The Canadian Federation of Earth Sciences Scientific Statement on Climate Change – Its Impacts in Canada, and the Critical Role of Earth Scientists in Mitigation and Adaptation

The Canadian Federation of Earth Sciences (CFES) has issued this statement to summarize the science, effects, and implications of climate change. We highlight the role of Earth scientists in documenting and mitigating climate change, and in managing and adapting to its consequences in Canada. CFES is the coordinated voice of Canada’s Earth Sciences community with 14 member organizations representing some 15,000 geoscientists. Our members are drawn from academia, industry, education, and government. The mission of CFES is to ensure decision makers and the public understand the contributions of Earth Science to Canadian society and the economy. Climate change has become a national and global priority for all levels of government. The geological record shows us that the global climate has changed throughout Earth’s history, but the current rates of change are almost unprecedented. Over the last 70 years, levels of common greenhouse gases (GHGs) in the atmosphere have steadily increased. Carbon dioxide (CO2) concentration is now 418 parts per million — its highest of the last three million years. The chemical (isotopic) composition of carbon in the atmosphere indicates the increase in GHGs is due to burning fossil fuels. GHGs absorb energy emitted from Earth’s surface and re-radiate it back, warming the lower levels of the atmosphere. Climatic adjustments that have recently occurred are, in practical terms, irreversible, but further change can be mitigated by lowering emissions of GHGs. Climate change is amplified by three important Earth system processes and effects. First, as the climate warms evaporation increases, raising atmospheric concentrations of water vapour, itself a GHG — and adding to warming. Second, loss of ice cover from the polar ice sheets and glaciers exposes larger areas of land and open water — leading to greater absorption of heat from the sun. Third, thawing of near-surface permafrost releases additional GHGs (primarily CO2 and methane) during decay of organic matter previously preserved frozen in the ground. Some impacts of climate change are incremental and steadily occurring, such as melting of glaciers and ice sheets, with consequent sea level rise. Others are intermittent, such as extreme weather events, like hurricanes — but are becoming more frequent. Summer water shortages are increasingly common in western Canada as mountain snowpacks melt earlier and summer river flows decline. In northern Canada, warming and thawing of near-surface permafrost has led to deterioration of infrastructure and increased costs for buildings that now require chilled foundations. Other consequences of unchecked climate change include increased coastal erosion, increases in the number and size of wildfires, and reduction in winter road access to isolated northern communities. Reductions in net GHG emissions are urgently required to mitigate the many effects of further climate change. Industrial and public works development projects must now assess the effects of climate change in their planning, design, and management. Cities, municipalities, and rural communities need to plan new residential development carefully to avoid enhanced risk of flooding, coastal erosion, or wildfire. Earth Science knowledge and expertise is integral to exploration and development of new metals and Earth materials required for a carbon-neutral future, and in the capture and storage of CO2 within the Earth. Earth Science is also central to society’s adaptation to new climatic regimes and reduction of risks. This includes anticipation, assessment, and management of extreme events, development of new standards and guidelines for geotechnical and engineering practice, and revision to regulations that consider climate change. Geoscientists also have an important role in the education of students and the public on the reasons for necessary action. Canada is uniquely positioned with its strong global geoscientific leadership, its vast landmass, and its northern terrain to effectively leverage research activities around climate change. Geoscience tools and geoscientists’ skills will be integral to Canada’s preparation for climate change.

Discipline layout and application guide for earth sciences from leading international science foundations and agencies

According to the principle of being “derived from the logical structure of the knowledge system and promoted through the integration and application of knowledge”, advancement in interdisciplinary research is one of the three core tasks of the deepening reform of the National Natural Science Fund in the new era. This article takes an international vision by first investigating the disciplinary layout and application guide for the field of earth sciences offered by leading international science foundations and agencies including the National Science Foundation, United States (NSF); National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF); Japan Society for the Promotion of Science; Agence Nationale De Le Recherche; Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG); European Research Council; Australian Research Council; Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment; and National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC). These application guides include categories of guidelines, extensive application codes, and subdivided application codes. Compared with the existing hierarchical structure for application codes in the field of earth sciences at NSFC, the feasibility and necessity of promoting the optimization of the disciplinary layout and reform of application codes are discussed. Then, it is proposed that the disciplinary layout should be based on the current conditions as well as the future developmental needs of China and that the optimization of application codes should consider the needs of both application guidance rationality and management applicability. Moreover, the setting of application codes should include self-consistent disciplines; exhibit stable inheritance; and support services, emerging intersections, and national needs. To optimize the disciplinary layout, improve the basic research capabilities, and account for the scale of basic research teams and human management resources, the application codes need to be optimized on the basis of three key factors: Extensive application codes, subdivided application codes, and intelligent assistance. Only in this way can the core mission of science foundation management reforms be fulfilled and the goal of building a science foundation management system with advanced concepts, standardized systems, fairness, and efficiency be achieved. In the future, NSFC should focus on the differences between basic scientific research conducted by large and small countries, pay more attention to balanced development in the discipline layout, develop basic general research, and comprehensively promote the growth of the earth science fund. During the past two years, under the guidance of clear, overall strategic planning and top-level design, NSFC’s Department of Earth Sciences has deployed multiple major projects by guidelines, such as those for the major basic science projects of the Sichuan-Tibet railway and frontier projects of basic polar science as well as special projects related to 2019-nCoV research, ecological protection and sustainable development of the Yellow River Basin, and deep-time earth science knowledge graphing and knowledge evolution. These established projects have played key roles in enabling NSFC to meet the major national needs and push forward international scientific frontiers. In the future, NSFC should continue to pay significant attention to strategic research and the top-level design of funding deployment. Moreover, the foundation should strengthen the overall consideration of the top-level strategic results of earth sciences and the layout of the science fund. In practice, the focus should be on the promotion of basic scientific research rather than servicing the other needs of different disciplines. By further improving the condensed mechanism and management methods of the major projects of earth sciences, the important role of guidelines in funding effectiveness will be strengthened. This article can provide the necessary international vision and strategic support for the reform of the application codes of NSFC.

Integration of the peer assessment approach with a virtual reality design system for learning earth science

This study developed a peer assessment approach incorporated into virtual reality (VR) design activities for fifth-grade students to learn knowledge about a geological park in their natural science course. All the students were asked to design a VR project after they had learned the geological knowledge, so as to raise their environmental awareness and cultivate their earth science knowledge. In order to evaluate the learning performance and perceptions of students in two groups, one with peer assessment and the other with teacher feedback, we collected the learning achievements, learning motivation, self-efficacy, critical thinking tendency, creativity tendency, and cognitive load of learners before and after the activities. The results indicated that students performing the VR design activity with the peer assessment learning approach had higher learning effectiveness. They also had higher self-efficacy and critical thinking tendencies than those using the VR design system with conventional teacher feedback. In other words, the peer assessment approach not only improves students’ learning achievement, but also enhances their self-efficacy and critical thinking tendencies.

Map Reduce, Pig and Hive on Climatic Condition

This paper addresses recent growth within thes caleand kind of Earth science knowledge has provided new opportunities to massive knowledge analytics analysis for understanding the Earth's physical processes. There has been associate upsurge of natural science datasets within the past few decades that are being frequently collected mistreatment various modes of acquisition, at deferent scales of observation, and in numerous knowledge sorts and formats. Earth science knowledge sets but exhibit some distinctive characteristics (e.g. adherence to physical properties and spatiotemporal constraints), that gift challengestoancientdata-centric approaches.In this paper the comparative study of Hadoop’s programming paradigm (Map reduce)andHadoop’s ecosystems Hive and Pig.The processing time of map reduce, hive and pig is implement edona data set with simple queries. It is observed that Map reduce processes the datain shorter time ascompared with Map reduceand Hive. It is not necessary that only Map Reduce is useful other techniques are also useful under differentconstraints.

Introduction

Despite our continuing on-shore and off-shore research efforts in the Arctic, our basic knowledge of earth science of the Arctic realm remains limited due to its remote and difficult accessibility,...

GeoDidaLab: a laboratory for environmental education and research within the Ivrea Morainic Amphitheatre (Turin, NW Italy)

Research and practical activities concerning environmental education are the main goals of the GeoDidaLab, a laboratory founded in the ‘90s by a couple of school teachers, since 2012 led by the Earth Science Department of the Torino University (Italy). It is located at the core of the Ivrea Morainic Amphitheatre (IMA), whose glacial landforms and deposits constitute an extraordinary landscape and a geoheritage site of international value.Over the years, schools from more than 50 municipalities of the Piemonte and Valle d’Aosta Regions adhered to the activities proposed by the laboratory. Today, its educational offer includes more than 20 interdisciplinary workshops, suitable for students from kindergarten to university level. Particular attention is also devoted in training preand in-service teachers.Thanks to agreements with local communities and schools, new strategies for spreading Earth Science knowledge and environmental education are constantly developed and tested.

Scaffolding scientific thinking: Students’ evaluations and judgments during Earth science knowledge construction

Critical evaluation underpins the practices of science. In a three-year classroom-based research project, we developed and tested instructional scaffolds for Earth science content in which students evaluate lines of evidence with respect to alternative explanations of scientific phenomena (climate change, fracking and earthquakes, wetlands and land use, and formation of Earth’s Moon). The present paper documents a quasi-experimental study where high school Earth science students completed these instructional scaffolds, including an explanation task scored for evaluative levels (erroneous, descriptive, relational, and critical), along with measures of plausibility reappraisal and knowledge. Repeated measures analyses of variance reveal significant increases in plausibility and knowledge scores for students completing instructional scaffolds that promoted students’ evaluations about the connections between lines of evidence and two alternative explanations, whereas evaluations about connections between lines of evidence and only one alternative show no change in scores. A structural equation model suggests that students’ evaluation may influence post instructional plausibility and knowledge. The results of this study demonstrate that students’ active evaluation of scientific alternatives and explicit reappraisal of plausibility judgments can support deeper learning of Earth science content.

UNESCO Global Geoparks, Geotourism and Communication of the Earth Sciences: A Case Study in the Chablais UNESCO Global Geopark, France

The last twenty years have seen considerable developments in geotourism, a form of sustainable tourism. This has been also a period of significant development for UNESCO Global Geoparks (UGGps), on one hand with the creation of the International Geoscience and Geoparks Programme, and the other, in the number and diversity of UGGps recognised across the world. Geoparks have particular characteristics, such as a spatial engagement across an area, as well as the long-term commitment associated with this type of label. UGGps take a broad approach to geotourism, and seek to engage with all demographics, including “unsuspecting” geotourists. This is particularly relevant when considering that the Geopark profile has evolved since the introduction of the UNESCO label, and that a number UGGps are pre-existing tourist destinations and have diverse economies and strong growth. UGGps draw on professional, multidisciplinary teams that combine scientific knowledge, science communication, and outreach events to achieve effective heritage transmission through actions that target schools, the local population, and the general public. These are not traditional structures and do not have behavioural constraints imposed on them as experienced by some educational structures or museums. The present case study is an example of the type of innovation seen in UGGps, whereby novel solutions are employed in order to touch as wide a public as possible. The action presented is a winter outreach event for the general public in the Chablais UNESCO Global Geopark (France), that was developed in partnership with the Portes du Soleil association of 12 ski resorts. This consisted of an orienteering/treasure hunt game across one of the world’s largest ski domains, that included panels with anecdotes presenting different aspects of the Chablais geoheritage. It demonstrates that it is possible to engage with a sporting public that is seeking experiences and is not expecting to sacrifice time or exert effort to deepen knowledge or gain cultural insight. Interestingly, the study shows that careful event design, including concise language choice and a strict avoidance of technical vocabulary, results in the effective transmission of heritage information. The game participants were not geotourists, and yet displayed a good appetite for Earth science and cultural heritage knowledge. The study concluded that the sporting general public retained information about the geoheritage of the area, was open to participating in future Chablais UGGp events, and that they were interested in returning both to explore other aspects of the territory, and to visit in other seasons. The Chablais UGGp assessed the success and quality of the event and confirmed the relevance of a well-considered and layered geotourism strategy for territories with an UGGp label.

Undergraduate students’ earth science learning: relationships among conceptions, approaches, and learning self-efficacy in Taiwan

ABSTRACTIn the area of science education research, studies have attempted to investigate conceptions of learning, approaches to learning, and self-efficacy, mainly focusing on science in general or on specific subjects such as biology, physics, and chemistry. However, few empirical studies have probed students’ earth science learning. This study aimed to explore the relationships among undergraduates’ conceptions of, approaches to, and self-efficacy for learning earth science by adopting the structural equation modeling technique. A total of 268 Taiwanese undergraduates (144 females) participated in this study. Three instruments were modified to assess the students’ conceptions of, approaches to, and self-efficacy for learning earth science. The results indicated that students’ conceptions of learning made a significant contribution to their approaches to learning, which were consequently correlated with their learning self-efficacy. More specifically, students with stronger agreement that learning earth science involves applying the knowledge and skills learned to unknown problems were prone to possess higher confidence in learning earth science. Moreover, students viewing earth science learning as understanding earth science knowledge were more likely to adopt meaningful strategies to learn earth science, and hence expressed a higher sense of self-efficacy. Based on the results, practical implications and suggestions for future research are discussed.

Introduction to special section: Earth Model — Effective interpretation for conventional and unconventional reservoirs

The Earth Model Project is an SEG initiative to promote integration of earth science data and knowledge to provide quantitative interpretations. The goal is to help stimulate a fundamental change in visualizing and predicting subsurface structure, rock, and fluid properties quantitatively along with

Visual Representations on High School Biology, Chemistry, Earth Science, and Physics Assessments

The pervasive use of visual representations in textbooks, curricula, and assessments underscores their importance in K-12 science education. For example, visual representations figure prominently in the recent publication of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS Lead States in Next generation science standards: for states, by states. Achieve, Inc. on behalf of the twenty-six states and partners that collaborated on the NGSS, 2013). Although assessments of the NGSS have yet to be developed, most students are currently evaluated on their ability to interpret science visuals. While numerous studies exist on particular visuals, it is unclear whether the same types of visuals are emphasized in all science disciplines. The present study is an evaluation of the similarities and differences of visuals used to assess students’ knowledge of chemistry, earth science, living environment (biology), and physics on the New York State Regents examination. Analysis of 266 distinct visual representations categorized across the four content examinations reveals that the frequency and type of visuals vary greatly between disciplines. Diagrams, Graphs, Tables, and Maps are the most prevalent across all science disciplines. Maps, Cartograms, and Time Charts are unique to the Earth Science examination, and Network Diagrams are unique to the living environment (biology) examination. This study identifies which representations are most critical for training students across the science disciplines in anticipation of the implementation and eventual assessment of the NGSS.

Promoting the Geosciences Among Grades 8–12 Minority Students in the Urban Coastal Environment of New York City

ABSTRACTAll across the nation, Earth science knowledge among both students and their teachers in middle and high schools has been substandard, and particularly so for underrepresented minorities in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education. In New York City, a geoscience program was, therefore, developed to assist in ameliorating this problem. For middle and high school students and teachers, the program (1) provided pedagogical, research, and inquiry-oriented geoscience experiences; (2) offered pedagogical and research standards-based professional development in Earth science for teachers; (3) promoted geoscience inquiry and engagement via a three-dimensional, online virtual environment in which geoscience concepts were demonstrated, taught, and explored; (4) afforded students and teachers exposure to the geosciences through geoscience events and seminars; and (5) sponsored community-based geoscience outreach activities. Results from the program have shown noteworthy increases in students' understanding, participation, appreciation, and awareness of the geosciences. Altogether, the initiatives above combined geoscience learning opportunities, exposure, and research experiences with eager cohorts of geoscience learners to produce holistic, engaging stimuli for the scientific and academic growth and development of grades 8–12 student and teacher participants.

Introduction to special section: Earth Model — Visualizing and predicting the integrated earth

The Earth Model project, formerly known as IQ Earth project, is an SEG initiative to promote integration of earth science data and knowledge to provide quantitative interpretations. The goal is to help stimulate a fundamental change in visualizing and predicting subsurface structure, rock, and fluid

Announcements

The editors of the Interpretation journal would like to follow up the successful 2014 Earth Model Forum with a special section on the same theme. The Earth Model Project is a multisociety initiative to promote integration of earth-science data and knowledge to provide quantitative interpretations. Both participants and nonparticipants of the forum are invited to submit papers to the section. The goal is to help stimulate a fundamental change in visualizing and predicting subsurface structure, rock, and fluid properties quantitatively along with estimates of uncertainty. From emerging data types and format handshakes to multidisciplinary workflows, this section's focus is on industry's current best practices with “Effective Interpretation in Conventional and Unconventional Reservoirs” and the value it brings to the business.