Earth System Sciences

The four NHR centers, NHR@KIT, NHR@TUD, NHR@ZIB, and NHR@Göttingen, engage in collaboration on NHR Earth System Sciences Support, with coordination by NHR@KIT. 

Earth system science (ESS) is an interdisciplinary field of research that investigates the complex interactions between the various components of the Earth system. These include the atmosphere, hydrosphere (oceans, lakes and rivers), cryosphere (ice and snow), lithosphere (rock and soil) and the biosphere (flora and fauna). The aim of these sciences is to understand the physical, chemical, biological and social processes that influence the climate, the environment and ultimately the life on earth.

Earth system science plays a central role in climate change research. It describes processes such as the carbon cycle, the circulation of the oceans or atmospheric dynamics and temperature changes and their interaction with atmospheric chemistry. It provides the basis for earth system models (ESM) which, among other things, predict the future climate change. As a key area of research into our planet, Earth system science combines disciplines such as meteorology, geology, oceanography, biology and social sciences in order to develop sustainable solutions to global challenges.

In the field of modeling, the aim is to represent the Earth system as precisely as possible. New types of Earth system models (such as ICON, ICON-ART or EMAC) are therefore very extensive and complex. For a more precise and comprehensive physical description of the processes of the Earth system, more and more modules are being incorporated into the ESMs in order to overcome previous simplified parameterizations and obtain more precise results. Higher horizontal and vertical resolutions of the model grids enable more accurate results, but require continuously increasing computing power and data storage.