There recently has arisen substantial concern for the reproducibility of scientific findings, but the discussion has not significantly impacted Earth science. We consider repetition, replication, and reproducibility in Earth science, using an example from geomorphology. Repetition repeats the program of observations in the same exercise to establish precision of results. Replication is duplication of observations using similar resources but in an independent program. Reproduction is confirmation of scientific principles using different resources in an independent program. We conclude that results will mainly be limited to reproduction—confirmation of principles—and that this is the essential goal for advancing the science. We illustrate these concepts by review of our experiments on the infiltration of fine grains in flowing water into a bed of coarser grains, conducted using glass beads in a laboratory flume.

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地貌学的结果可重复吗？

最近，人们对科学发现的可重复性引起了极大的关注，但是讨论并未对地球科学产生重大影响。我们以地貌学为例，研究地球科学中的重复，复制和可再现性。重复在同一练习中重复观察程序以建立结果的准确性。复制是使用类似资源但在独立程序中的观察值重复。复制是对独立程序中使用不同资源的科学原理的确认。我们得出结论，结果将主要限于复制（原则的确认），这是推动科学发展的基本目标。