Geodesy Brings the Geoscience Community Together as Geophysicists

Abstract:

Geodesy, the science of determining Earth’s shape, gravity field and rotation, has been in existence for millennia. Today, few geoscientists identify with the pure science of geodesy, though many use geodetic tools and data for their research. In 2014, we interviewed members of the UNAVCO community and asked, “Do you call yourself a geodesist?” Most replied that they used geodesy, but would call themselves “geophysicists”. This “use of geodesy” for other fields of study, particularly for geophysics-related fields, is consistent with an analysis of AGU’s sections and focus groups. Additional analysis of geoscience departments at U.S. universities would suggest a similar trend.

The expanding use of geodetic tools and geodetic data for many fields of research such as geophysics, tectonophysics, geodynamics, space physics, geology, geomorphology, seismology, hydrology, volcanology, glaciology, paleontology, paleoseismology, structural geology, meteorology, ecology, archaeology, oceanography, geography, soil science, atmospheric science, and snow science, may provide an approach to bringing diverse fields together under the moniker of geoscience and geoscientists. Scientists using a shared approach to research and education might be able to see themselves under the broader identity of geoscientist. The hurdle to making this transformation towards a larger shared voice in public discourse, is the more common use of “geophysicist” among the geodesy community, which is tied to the strong foundation of physics and mathematics needed to work with geodetic data and tools.