2015 Essay Contest Finalist

Entry by Omar Khan

Earth Science Visualization Today

Technological advances have allowed scientists to make better visualizations about geoscience, and learn more about how humans and other beings interact with the earth. This is not only used in geoscience studies, but also in everyday life and heterogeneous fields. The findings made by geoscientists that use this exceptional tool are advancing Earth science today

We don’t realize it, but we use geoscience visualization in our everyday lives. One example of this is a weather report. With weather reports we envisage what the weather will be like in the future. Meteorologists use tools such as radars and satellites to determine the type of weather, and its intensity (which can be used to tell how long it will take for the weather to reach the location and its duration).

Visualization is an important part of various fields. A field in which it is important is construction, in which engineers and architects use computer models to see If the ground can support a building. Through computer models, sand samples and pile testing, it was determined that the Kingdom Tower in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia that is being constructed could not be 5,200 feet heigh, because the ground would not be able to support it. As a result of this finding, the height was reduced.

Scientists using cutting-edge visualization have found many important findings that benefit humanity. An example of this is scientists using modern technology to determine that the Yellowstone Supervolcano was bigger than first anticipated. Another example of this is scientists finding that world’s longest volcano chain in Australia formed from a mantle hotspot.

Visualization is an important tool. It helps us in our everyday lives, it is useful in many fields, and it helps scientists make important discoveries. This helps us understand the earth better and make our lives easier.