The importance of curated domain repositories and synthesis databases as evolving community resources for modern Earth System Science research

Data are a fundamental building block of science. Ever-increasing volumes and diversity of data are allowing us to solve ever more complicated research questions; yet they are also creating new challenges around efficient data management and storage. This talk focuses on geochemical data, that are relatively low in volume compared to other Earth System Science disciplines, but are highly diverse due to the large range of materials analysed and analytical techniques employed. Modern geochemical research increasingly draws on large compilations of data previously collected by multiple authors using multiple analytical methods, over years and decades. Harmonising data from such diverse sources, and ensuring consistency and comparable data quality, is a non-trivial task that requires significant investment of time and resources. As a consequence, data compilations are increasingly published in high-ranking journals. Yet often they are singular, one-time efforts for specific projects by individual authors that quickly become outdated and lose relevance. In contrast, curated synthesis databases, such as the GEOROC database for igneous geochemical rock and mineral compositions, are continuously being updated and can offer long-term consistent curation over decades. By providing free access to, and customisable search of, their comprehensive data and metadata collections, they enable the compilation of a diverse range of smaller, targeted datasets that can form the basis of many different research projects across multiple (sub)disciplines. Long-term synthesis databases are an invaluable resource for the geochemical and broader scientific community. However, despite their broad relevance and usage, many such community databases struggle to secure the required resources for database maintenance and continuous technical developments to cater to changing scientific demands. This burden can be partly alleviated through integration of databases with curated, domain data repositories. Data harmonisation is greatly aided by adherence to best practices and standards during data publication. Repositories that publish curated, discipline-specific datasets, therefore, play an important role in ensuring new analyses are sufficiently well documented to allow quality assessment and reuse by third parties. They also support data rescue and the alignment of legacy data with modern data requirements. These standards and best practices should in turn be developed based on community expertise and consensus, which requires international collaboration. In geochemistry, data providers and services from three different continents formed the OneGeochemistry initiative. OneGeochemistry promotes exchange and agreement on minimum common variables between researchers from all geochemical sub-disciplines and the more than 15 international societies, associations and science unions that govern different types of geochemical data. As a participant in the WorldFAIR project, OneGeochemistry aims to reconcile cross-domain solutions for data interoperability with domain-specific geochemical requirements. The implementation of geochemical data standards in repositories, and their broad adoption by the geochemical community, will enhance the value of data and services provided by synthesis databases, which will lead to better access to comprehensive data compilations and, ultimately, better science.