Earth science is the study of the Earth's structure, properties, processes, and four and a half billion

years of biotic evolution. Understanding these phenomena is essential to maintenance of life on the
planet. The expanding world population demands more resources; faces increasing losses from
natural hazards; and releases more pollutants to the air, water, and land. Sustaining our existence
requires scientific understanding of the natural materials and processes linking the geosphere,
hydrosphere, atmosphere, and biosphere. Life prospers or fails at the surface of the Earth where
these environments intersect.

The knowledge gained and the services provided by earth scientists help society cope with its
environment in many ways. Their knowledge about the structure, stratigraphy, and chemical
composition of the earth's crust helps us locate resources that sustain and advance our quality of
life. Understanding the forces in the crust, and the natural processes on the surface allows us to
anticipate natural disasters such as volcanoes and earthquakes, and geologic environments, such
as damaging mining practices or improper waste disposal, gives us information to correct such
practices and design more benign procedures for the future. Finally, a comprehensive perception of
planetary physics will allow us to anticipate major changes in global environmental conditions and
control or acclimate to those changes.

In general use, the term "earth science" often includes the study of the earth's atmosphere
(meteorology or atmospheric science), the water flowing on and beneath the surface of continents
(hydrology), and the earth's seas and oceans (oceanography or ocean sciences). The NSF
organizational taxonomy defines earth science as including the fields of "solid-earth" science
(geology, geochemistry, and geophysics (plus continental hydrology. It excludes the "fluid-earth"
sciences of oceanography and atmospheric science, which have their own respective divisions in the
organization, and are covered in other reports in this series. The NSF Division of Earth Sciences is
part of the Geosciences Directorate that also includes the divisions of Atmospheric Sciences and
Ocean Sciences. The term "geosciences" is similarly used to represent only the "solid-earth"
sciences or solid and fluid sciences depending on the context, so care must be always exercised
when interpreting data regarding the earth science fields from various sources.