I am an earth scientist. Many of us call ourselves geologists, but I believe that term is insufficient, because our field is so much broader. There is a lot more to earth science than just geology, after all.
Earth science knows many specializations. My world is the world of sediments, sedimentary environments (modern and ancient) and the resulting sedimentary rocks.
I have worked as a government scientist for State Geological Surveys in the United States, as an academic an a dean in the Netherlands (where I am originally from) and as an independent here in Nova Scotia. I held adjunct positions at Acadia University’s Earth and Environmental Science Department in Wolfville and at the Earth Sciences department of Dalhousie University in Halifax.
One can spend a lifetime reveling in the fundamental aspects of sedimentary environments, but I have a practical mind and tend to see societal issues in the context of earth science: coastal zone management, energy questions, climate change, the world’s water supply, etc. Thus the title of this blog:
Earth Science Society.
For further musings on why and how I write, see this blog post
My home page banners are photos from around Minas Basin, an arm of the Bay of Fundy in Nova Scotia, Canada. The photos illustrate these three aspects (Earth, Science, Society): the oceanography of Minas Basin, and thus its sediment budget and distribution is still poorly understood. Insufficient understanding of these dynamics has implications for the people living around it because coastal protection measures are haphazard at best and not based in a deep understanding of the environment.
The cliffs surrounding Minas Basin are exposed in a wild variety of rocks with spectacular fossil assemblages. Understanding the geologic history of these sequences, so superbly exposed thanks to our extreme tides, contributes to the understanding of earth history in general and helps us understand geologic history elsewhere in the world. And this in turn helps us understand the potential and limitations of our natural resources.
Earth Science Society
Follow me on Twitter @EC_Kosters
EARTH SCIENCE SOCIETY 
Ha Elisabeth, gefeliciteerd met je verjaardag. Ik kon je email niet meer vinden dus probeer ik je op deze wijze een goede dag met Dick te wensen. Groet vanuit Baku in Azerbaijan waar ik sinds Oktober aan de slag ben. Jan de Leeuw
Greetings!!
We would be delighted to have your presence in the upcoming “International Conference on Earth Science and Climate Change” which will be held on September 6-7, 2018, at Zurich, Switzerland. With theme “Insight into Innovations in Earth System Sciences and Climate Change Challenges”
I await your reply with interest.
Regard,
Sharon Lewis
Thank you for your interest. I will not be able to attend the conference. I hope it will be a success
Elisabeth: er is een boek in voorbereiding over de Opolski familie in Apeldoorn. Graag contact.
Hi Elisabeth Kosters,
I read your article in the Chronicle Herald and now your blog, the one about essential minerals in NS. You make sensible comments. I do have to draw your attention though to your statement about the tin mine “just outside the Southwest Nova Biosphere Reserve” – the 5 western most counties in NS ARE the biosphere reserve; the Tobeatic is part of the core protected area.
https://swnovabiosphere.ca
Thanks for taking note of this; any clarification of this fact is welcome, it has been a problem from the start but now there are actually big road signs up at the entry of the counties Queens and Annapolis.
Keep up the good work.
Margrit
Hello Margrit, thank you for you feedback. You are correct – I had misinterpreted the SW Nova Biosphere map. I will correct and update the blog post.