Earth System Geophysics

With burgeoning global observation techniques, many of them fundamentally geophysical and global concerns, Earth science has evolved into Earth System Science, in which the surficial fluid components of the Earth System and their interactions with the entire Earth System are of prime importance. Geophysics has reflected this evolution, as we can see in the diverse fields of research now nurtured under the umbrella of the American Geophysical Union. But no comprehensive introductory geophysics textbook, suitable for geoscience or physical science majors, exists with an Earth System Science perspective. Earth System geophysics is not just geophysics with the atmosphere and oceans included, neither is it just geophysics with topics common to multiple components of the Earth System, such as isostasy involving the atmosphere and oceans instead of the solid earth, or low seismic velocity zones in the oceans and atmosphere instead of the solid earth included. Earth System geophysics most fundamentally recognizes that the natural world is characterized by a different, more universal paradigm than plate tectonics: convection, which every component of the Earth system exhibits, and which is sure to exist beyond our planet and beyond our Solar System.

Volume highlights include:

- discusses the geophysics of the Earth System rather than just the solid earth with an introduction to Solar System
- progression of topics is logical, starting with the solar system, atmosphere, and climate, then gravity, then seismology, Interior and Convection, finishing with heat flow, and back down to the core, with Geomagnetism concluding the book
- an Earth System Science approach with a gradual introduction and development of mathematical aspects
- extensive, mostly classroom-tested problem sets for each chapter, with homework ssignments that can make all the difference in whether a student masters the subject matter or not
- discusses Earth's mass and moment of inertia, with constraints on any earth model before discussing models of the interior (thus, gravity before seismology)
- investigates ways to estimate interior viscosity before considering how the mantle and core might flow
- explains the structure of the interior before considering how interior convection might have evolved (thus, seismology before heat flow)
- our understanding of convection in a geophysical context to the remaining member of the Earth System, the core

隨著全球觀測技術的蓬勃發展，其中許多技術基礎是地球物理學和全球關注的核心，地球科學已經演變為地球系統科學，其中地球系統的表面流體組成部分及其與整個地球系統的相互作用至關重要。地球物理學已反映了這一演變，正如我們在美國地球物理聯盟的多樣化研究領域中所看到的。但是，目前還沒有一本適合地球科學或物理科學專業的綜合性地球物理學教材，具有地球系統科學的觀點。

《地球系統地球物理學》不僅僅是包含大氣和海洋的地球物理學，也不僅僅是包含多個地球系統組成部分共同的主題的地球物理學，例如涉及大氣和海洋而不是固體地球的均衡，或者涉及海洋和大氣中的低地震速度區而不是固體地球。《地球系統地球物理學》最基本的認識是，自然界的特徵不同於板塊構造學的普遍範式：對流，每個地球系統組成部分都表現出這種特徵，並且在我們的行星以及太陽系之外肯定也存在。

本書的亮點包括：
- 討論的是地球系統的地球物理學，而不僅僅是固體地球，並介紹了太陽系
- 主題的進展是合乎邏輯的，從太陽系、大氣和氣候開始，然後是重力，接著是地震學、內部和對流，最後是熱流，再回到地核，最後以地磁學結束
- 以地球系統科學的方法進行逐步介紹和發展數學方面的內容
- 每章都有廣泛的、大多數經過課堂測試的問題集，並提供作業任務，這對學生是否能掌握主題的重要性至關重要
- 討論了地球的質量和慣性矩，以及在討論內部模型之前對任何地球模型的限制（因此，先講重力再講地震學）
- 探討了在考慮地幔和地核可能流動之前估計內部黏度的方法
- 在考慮內部對流可能如何演變之前解釋了內部結構（因此，先講地震學再講熱流）
- 將地球物理學中對對流的理解應用到地球系統的最後一個成員，即地核。

Steven R. Dickman, Binghamton University, USA.

Steven R. Dickman，Binghamton University，美國。