8/13/2019 451257 A

1/1

ESSAY258 A tribe of jobbing ditchers

T. Nield

FEATURES261 A planetary perspective on

the deep Earth D. J. Stevenson266 Using seismic waves to image

Earths internal structure B. Romanowicz269 Mineralogy at the extremes T. S. Duffy271 Earthquake physics and real-

time seismology H. Kanamori274 From landscapes into geological

history P. A. Allen277 The rise of atmospheric oxygen L. R. Kump279 An early Cenozoic perspective

on greenhouse warming andcarbon-cycle dynamics

J. C. Zachos, G. R. Dickens &

R. E. Zeebe284 Unlocking the mysteries of

the ice ages M. E. Raymo & P. Huybers286 Ocean circulation in a

warming climate J. R. Toggweiler & J. Russell289 Terrestrial ecosystem

carbon dynamics and climatefeedbacks

M. Heimann & M. Reichstein293 An Earth-system perspective

of the global nitrogen cycle N. Gruber & J. N. Galloway297 A steep road to climate

stabilization P. Friedlingstein299 Small-scale cloud processes

and climate M. B. Baker & T. Peter

ESSAY301 Earth science and society F. Press

YEAROF PLANETEARTH

A s we progress into the twenty-firstcentury, modern society faces one of itsgreatest challenges climate change.Earth scientists are uniquely placed

to help tackle this issue, as well as to help societyreduce the risks from natural hazards and useEarths resources sustainably.

To achieve these goals, it is essential that Earthscientists and society interact in mutually beneficialways, as Ted Nield and Frank Press reflect in theessays that open and close this collection. Butit is also crucial that Earth scientists are excitedand inspired by science in its own right, and it isthis aim that we hope to fulfil through the otherarticles in this supplement. These informal,sometimes opinionated, pieces look back at recentdevelopments in the Earth sciences and consider

where future advances might lie.These ideas have much in common with thephilosophy behind the International Year ofPlanet Earth, a joint initiative by the UnitedNations Educational, Scientific and CulturalOrganization (UNESCO) and the InternationalUnion of Geological Sciences. This project aims tocapture peoples imagination with the knowledgeaccumulated by Earth scientists and to ensurethat this information is used to benefit society,and we hope that this supplement will contributeto these goals.

With Nature Geoscience , Nature Publishing

Group has just launched a new journal that alsosupports the goals of the International Year ofPlanet Earth. Alongside Nature , Nature Geoscience will publish research, commentary and analysisacross the entire spectrum of the Earth sciences.

We are pleased to acknowledge the financialsupport of the International Year of Planet Earth(IYPE) and the International Union of GeologicalSciences in producing this supplement. As always,Nature carries sole responsibility for all editorialcontent.

Joanna Thorpe, Associate Editor,Juliane Mssinger and John VanDecar, Senior Editors

Editor, NaturePhilip Campbell

Insights PublisherSarah Greaves

Publishing AssistantClaudia Banks

Insights EditorKarl Ziemelis

Production EditorDavina Dadley-Moore

Senior Art EditorMartin Harrison

Art EditorNik Spencer

SponsorshipEmma Green

ProductionJocelyn Hilton

MarketingKaty DunninghamElena Woodstock

Editorial AssistantAlison McGill

Cover illustrationPinnacles eroded fromsedimentary rock, withmelting snow, in BryceCanyon National Park, Utah.

(Courtesy of T. Dempsey/Photoseek.com)

257

Vol 451 | Issue no. 7176 | 17 January 2008www.nature.com/nature