|  Data
analysis is an essential part of every NASA space mission. Not only
are NASA data of greatest benefit when integrated with quantitative
models, but the research leads to new ideas for how Earth processes
operate, new ways of making measurements from space, and new concepts
for missions. The
solid-Earth system is inherently complex, and understanding it requires
significant effort in the analysis of data and their comparison
with models. Simulations must be carried out concurrently with data
analysis so that the entire system can be studied and understood.
Observational data can also be assimilated into computational models
providing constraints on and verification of hypotheses.
A
few examples of critical research and analysis programs for solid-Earth
science at NASA include the following:
- Models
of crustal deformation that incorporate InSAR and GPS measurements
of surface deformation. The models for plate boundary zones should
include the pre-, co-, and postseismic phases of the seismic cycle.
Models must be developed for the many other sources of surface
deformation including those associated with volcanic eruptions,
water withdrawal, and loading and unloading by water and ice.
- Models
of landform evolution that account for time-dependent topography.
The models should include the tectonic growth of topography as
well as erosional processes.
- Models
of time-dependent surface gravity. The models should account for
tectonic, hydrological, surface loading and unloading, and mantle
dynamical effects.
-
Models of the Earth's magnetic field that account for observations.
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