Geoscientists interpret the natural world. They bring methods such as geophysics, geochemistry, geobiology and field geology together to understand the modern and ancient Earth. Clues concealed in rocks and minerals, fluids and fossils, mountains and sediments, glaciers and volcanoes are marshaled to understand and explain the Earth system at all scales. Managing water, mineral and energy resources, designing sustainable strategies for infrastructure and industrial growth, and coping with natural and anthropogenic hazards facing increasing global populations, including climate change, all depend on a deep understanding of natural processes.