The paradigm and future of geomorphology science in China:A perspective of NSFC program funding
Geomorphology is one of the oldest and most traditional branches of geographical science.A comprehensive diagnosis and evaluation of the applications and funding given to geomorphology projects of the National Natural Science Foundation of China(NSFC)are crucial to the assessment of the evolution of this field in China.Here,we review the trends of geomorphology research in China over the period of 1987 to 2022 using insights from varying research paradigms(considering relevant increasing research trends,i.e.,"hotspots"),and discuss the challenges facing geomorphology in the near future.By the end of 2022,the NSFC received 2469 applications related to geomorphology research.Of this total,725 of them received funding,covering 13 different project types.These results demonstrate a clear increase in the total number of geomorphology project applications,especially the Young Scientists Fund which grew more rapidly in the first decade of this century.The distribution of research teams shows significant spatial heterogeneity,which is mainly distributed in North China,Northwest China,East China,and Southwest China.The age structure distributions of the research teams show that the proportion of young scientific researchers is gradually increasing.In addition,a significant number of scientists in each age group have been engaged in geomorphology research.These results indicate that the NSFC plays an important role in the geomorphology discipline and research team development.However,as project applications increase the funding rate has significantly decreased in the last three decades.The recent slowdown of the project applications growth rate indicates a weakening growth potential in geomorphology research.Therefore,further effort is needed to encourage more young researchers to join the geomorphology community.The changes in research trends show that geomorphic processes and landscape evolution models(LEMs)have become dominant research trends in the past decade.Disaster landscapes,fluvial landscapes,and aeolian landscapes are the most popular research subjects over the past 36-years.Those characteristics indicate that geomorphology researchers pay attention to both basic geomorphology theory,and that they also care about environmental governance and management.Although the number of"hot"research trends has decreased,the content and methods in geomorphology research have gradually been enriched.Of the three major geomorphology research paradigms,process geomorphology has the largest number of applications while historical geomorphology has the highest funding rate.Despite the smaller number of applications and overall funding rates,systematic geomorphology has the highest funding rates for the General Program,Young Scientist Fund,and International(Regional)Cooperation and Exchange Programs.Research paradigms analyses show that research methods and ideas of historical geomorphology and process geomorphology have been increasingly recognized by geomorphology researchers.These two research paradigms are the current mainstream paradigms of geomorphology research in China.The funding rates of process geomorphology and systematic geomorphology both indicate that they have gradually gained more recognition from the applicants and reviewers in General Program,Young Scientist Fund,and Regional Science Fund.Thus,it is expected to see increased production of significant project management efforts in the future.New advancements in geomorphology can be achieved by developing new research directions with distinctively Chinese features,increasing international cooperation and exchange projects,and optimizing the structure and composition of the talent team.Geomorphology can be further improved by developing and strengthening new growth points,research paradigms,and service functions to enhance its fundamental role in geographical sciences.
National Natural Science Foundation of Chinageomorphology sciencefunding situationresearch paradigmdevelopment challenges
高阳、蔡顺、潘保田、熊巨华
展开 >
国家自然科学基金委员会地球科学部,北京 100085
盐城师范学院城市与规划学院,盐城 224002
兰州大学资源环境学院,西部环境教育部重点实验室,兰州 730000
National Natural Science Foundation of China geomorphology science funding situation research paradigm development challenges
NETL
NSTL
万方数据
维普
