Applications of Data Assimilation and Inverse Problems in the Earth Sciences

Many contemporary problems within the Earth sciences are complex, and require an interdisciplinary approach. This book provides a comprehensive reference on data assimilation and inverse problems, as well as their applications across a broad range of geophysical disciplines. With contributions from world leading researchers, it covers basic knowledge about geophysical inversions and data assimilation and discusses a range of important research issues and applications in atmospheric and cryospheric sciences, hydrology, geochronology, geodesy, geodynamics, geomagnetism, gravity, near-Earth electron radiation, seismology, and volcanology. Highlighting the importance of research in data assimilation for understanding dynamical processes of the Earth and its space environment and for predictability, it summarizes relevant new advances in data assimilation and inverse problems related to different geophysical fields. Covering both theory and practical applications, it is an ideal reference for researchers and graduate students within the geosciences who are interested in inverse problems, data assimilation, predictability, and numerical methods.

Alik Ismail-Zadeh is a Research Professor at the Institute of Applied Geosciences, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology. He is the winner of several awards, and a member of Academia Europaea, fellow of American Geological Union, International Science Council, International Union of Geodesy and Geophysics, and honorary fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society. Ismail-Zadeh has written or edited three previous books: Computational Methods for Geodynamics (Cambridge University Press, 2010); Extreme Natural Hazards, Disaster Risks, and Societal Implications (Cambridge University Press, 2014); and Data Driven Numerical Modelling in Geodynamics (2016).

Fabio Castelli is Professor of Hydrology at the University of Florence and a member of the American Geological Union, European Geological Union and the International Association for Hydro-Environment Engineering and Research. He is an Associate to the UNESCO Chair on the Prevention and Sustainable Management of Geo-Hydrological Hazards. Castelli's projects focus on drought and water resources management, flood forecasting systems and flood risk management, with particular focus on preservation of cultural heritage.

Dylan Jones is a Professor at the University of Toronto, and an atmospheric physicist who held a Tier II Canada Research Chair from 2004–2014. His research uses data assimilation and inverse modelling techniques to integrate measurements of atmospheric composition with global models of chemistry and transport to develop a better understanding of how pollution influences the atmosphere.

Sabrina Sanchez is a geophysicist at the Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris with a primary research interest in geomagnetism. Her main work consists of using data assimilation to constrain Earth's core dynamics over the past millennia, combining palaeomagnetic and historical data together with dynamo simulations. She has also worked with solar and planetary dynamos.