COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: A TRANSPARENT-MIDDLE-LAYER COMPUTATIONAL AND DATA MANAGEMENT INFRASTRUCTURE FOR SYNOPTIC APPLICATIONS OF COSMOGENIC-NUCLIDE GEOCHEMISTRY

North Dakota State University Fargo, Fargo ND

Investigators

Abstract

This project will develop computational and data management knowledge and infrastructure to enable global-scale applications of cosmogenic-nuclide geochemistry. Cosmogenic-nuclide geochemistry is a geologic dating method that is widely used to study geologic processes active at the Earth's surface, including, for example, glacier and ice sheet change, erosion and sedimentation, tectonic deformation, and earthquake size and frequency. Cosmogenic-nuclide geochemistry does not directly measure the age of a deposit, but instead relies on geochemical properties of rocks and sediments that change over time and thus have some relation to age. Interpreting the geochemical measurements as a precise, geologically-useful age requires a series of calculations and associated data, which themselves are the subjects of active research. Thus, any synthesis of data collected in different places or at different times requires constant recalculation of ages from a growing data set of raw geochemical observations, using a continually improving method. This project focuses on developing a cyberinfrastructure system that automates calculations and makes them transparent to users interested in analysis of large data sets, and training Earth science researchers and students in how to use the system. Overall, the goal is to improve the ability of Earth science researchers to use geochronological data to study Earth surface processes. The project will develop a transparent middle-level computational infrastructure for cosmogenic-nuclide geochronology, based on a prototype that has been successful in trial applications. The resource will automate middle-level calculations, allow continual assimilation of data and improvement of calculation methods, and allow users to focus on large-scale data analysis. This research will involve: 1. expansion and professionalization of the existing prototype, 2. support for new research and education applications that involve analysis or visualization of large data sets; and 3. engagement and training of researchers and students aimed at embedding transparent middle-level concepts and infrastructure into research workflows. Overall, the aim is to build the computational infrastructure, and the community of researchers who are able and motivated to use it, that is necessary to move the field from single, site-specific investigations toward regional and global syntheses of rapidly growing data sets. In addition, elements of this project focus on integrating Earth science research and education, including: 1. a users-as-co-developers strategy for engagement and project guidance, 2. a strategy of incorporating synoptic analysis and data visualization into undergraduate teaching resources, and 3. a program of training Earth science researchers and students in computational and geospatial skills. Integrating cyberinfrastructure development into undergraduate and graduate Earth science education will build a community of students and researchers who are better prepared to succeed in both Earth science and other fields, as well as building the capability to link small-scale field research to the broader regional- or global-scale data set of similar observations. Innovative aspects of this project may provide models for enabling scientific investigation through cyberinfrastructure development in other areas of Earth science. This project is jointly funded by the Geoinformatics and the Geomorphology and Land Use Dynamics programs in the Division of Earth Sciences, as well as the Office of Polar Programs. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.