Education for Understanding Science and the Earth System for Long-Term Sustainability

2000 ◽  
pp. 113-122 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Patricia Morse
Keyword(s):  
Earth System ◽  
The Earth ◽  
Understanding Science

scholarly journals Geosystemics and Earthquakes

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Angelo De Santis ◽  
Gianfranco Cianchini ◽  
Rita Di Giovambattista ◽  
Cristoforo Abbattista ◽  
Lucilla Alfonsi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Dynamical System ◽  
Solid Earth ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
Central Italy ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Earth System ◽  
Complex Dynamical System ◽  
The Earth ◽  
Earth’S Interior

Abstract. Geosystemics (De Santis 2009, 2014) studies the Earth system as a whole focusing on the possible coupling among the Earth layers (the so called geo-layers), and using universal tools to integrate different methods that can be applied to multi-parameter data, often taken on different platforms. Its main objective is to understand the particular phenomenon of interest from a holistic point of view. In this paper we will deal with earthquakes, considered as a long term chain of processes involving, not only the interaction between different components of the Earth’s interior, but also the coupling of the solid earth with the above neutral and ionized atmosphere, and finally culminating with the main rupture along the fault of concern (De Santis et al., 2015a). Some case studies (particular emphasis is given to recent central Italy earthquakes) will be discussed in the frame of the geosystemic approach for better understanding the physics of the underlying complex dynamical system.

The role of the Microbial Conveyor Belt on Earth´s system resilience

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mireia Mestre ◽  
Juan Höfer
Keyword(s):  
Human Impacts ◽  
Conveyor Belt ◽  
Earth System ◽  
Planetary Scale ◽  
Microbial Biogeography ◽  
The Earth ◽  
System Resilience ◽  
Global Biogeochemical Cycles

<p>Despite being major players on the global biogeochemical cycles, microorganisms are generally not included in holistic views of Earth’s system. The Microbial Conveyor Belt is a conceptual framework that represents a recurrent and cyclical flux of microorganisms across the globe, connecting distant ecosystems and Earth compartments. This long-range dispersion of microorganisms directly influences the microbial biogeography, the global cycling of inorganic and organic matter, and thus the Earth system’s functioning and long-term resilience. Planetary-scale human impacts disrupting the natural flux of microorganisms pose a major threat to the Microbial Conveyor Belt, thus compromising microbial ecosystem services. Perturbations that modify the natural dispersion of microorganisms are, for example, the modification of the intensity/direction of air fluxes and ocean currents due to climate change, the vanishing of certain dispersion vectors (e.g., species extinction or drying rivers) or the introduction of new ones (e.g., microplastics, wildfires). Transdisciplinary approaches are needed to disentangle the Microbial Conveyor Belt, its major threats and their consequences for Earth´s system resilience.</p>

scholarly journals Deep-time organizations: Learning institutional longevity from history

2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 19-41 ◽  
Author(s):  
Frederic Hanusch ◽  
Frank Biermann
Keyword(s):  
Empirical Research ◽  
Design Principles ◽  
Earth System ◽  
Political Organizations ◽  
Deep Time ◽  
Initial Design ◽  
Earth System Governance ◽  
The Earth ◽  
Temporal Interdependencies

The Anthropocene as a new planetary epoch has brought to the foreground the deep-time interconnections of human agency with the earth system. Yet despite this recognition of strong temporal interdependencies, we still lack understanding of how societal and political organizations can manage interconnections that span several centuries and dozens of generations. This study pioneers the analysis of what we call “deep-time organizations.” We provide detailed comparative historical analyses of some of the oldest existing organizations worldwide from a variety of sectors, from the world’s oldest bank (Sveriges Riksbank) to the world’s oldest university (University of Al Quaraouiyine) and the world’s oldest dynasty (Imperial House of Japan). Based on our analysis, we formulate 12 initial design principles that could lay, if supported by further empirical research along similar lines, the basis for the construction and design of “deep-time organizations” for long-term challenges of earth system governance and planetary stewardship.

scholarly journals Geosystemics View of Earthquakes

Entropy ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 21 (4) ◽  
pp. 412 ◽  
Author(s):  
Angelo De Santis ◽  
Cristoforo Abbattista ◽  
Lucilla Alfonsi ◽  
Leonardo Amoruso ◽  
Saioa A. Campuzano ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Solid Earth ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Satellite Observations ◽  
Earth System ◽  
Seismic Sequences ◽  
The Earth ◽  
Earth’S Interior ◽  
Earth's Interior ◽  
Physical Quantities

Earthquakes are the most energetic phenomena in the lithosphere: their study and comprehension are greatly worth doing because of the obvious importance for society. Geosystemics intends to study the Earth system as a whole, looking at the possible couplings among the different geo-layers, i.e., from the earth’s interior to the above atmosphere. It uses specific universal tools to integrate different methods that can be applied to multi-parameter data, often taken on different platforms (e.g., ground, marine or satellite observations). Its main objective is to understand the particular phenomenon of interest from a holistic point of view. Central is the use of entropy, together with other physical quantities that will be introduced case by case. In this paper, we will deal with earthquakes, as final part of a long-term chain of processes involving, not only the interaction between different components of the Earth’s interior but also the coupling of the solid earth with the above neutral or ionized atmosphere, and finally culminating with the main rupture along the fault of concern. Particular emphasis will be given to some Italian seismic sequences.

Experimental access to Volcanic Eruptions and their role in the Earth System. 

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Donald B. Dingwell
Keyword(s):  
Volcanic Eruptions ◽  
Explosive Volcanism ◽  
Hazard Mapping ◽  
Earth System ◽  
Planetary Evolution ◽  
The Earth ◽  
Experimental Approaches ◽  
Impact Experiments ◽  
Near Future

<p>Few things are more central to earth history, planetary evolution and the earth system, than volcanism. Explosive volcanism in particular exhibits individual events whose impact can range from local to global. Developing a mechanistic understanding of the inner workings of volcanic systems is essential for understanding their behavior and modelling their impact. Experiments form a fundamental part of our modern scientific approach to volcanic research, an approach which relies heavily on materials characterisation. In the year 2021, we can look back on decades of  novel and highly innovative experimental approaches applied to the investigation of volcanic processes. The focus has ranged from pre-eruptive and eruptive dynamics  all the way to the fate  and importance of volcanic materials in the Earth System. The applied aspects of the work reach, for example, into eruption forecasting, hazard mapping and aviation safety. I will attempt portray the the long term strategy of the approach we have taken as well as providing comments on the likelihood of certain further developments in the near future.</p>

Geosystemics View of Earthquakes

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gianfranco Cianchini ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Solid Earth ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Satellite Observations ◽  
Final Part ◽  
Earth System ◽  
Seismic Sequences ◽  
The Earth ◽  
Physical Quantities

<p>Earthquakes, the most energetic phenomena in the lithosphere, often cause danger and casualties: thus, their study and comprehension are greatly worth doing because of the obvious importance for society. Geosystemics intends to offer a way to study the Earth system by viewing it as a whole, looking at the possible couplings among the different geo-layers, i.e., from the earth’s interior up to the ionosphere through the atmosphere. It uses specific universal tools to integrate different methods that can be applied to multi-parameter data, often taken on different platforms (e.g., ground, marine or satellite observations). Its main aim is to understand the particular phenomenon of interest from a holistic point of view. Central is the use of entropy, together with other physical quantities that are introduced case by case. In this paper, we will deal with earthquakes, as final part of a long-term chain of processes involving, not only the interaction between different components of the Earth’s interior but also the coupling of the solid earth with the above neutral or ionized atmosphere, and finally culminating with the main rupture along the fault of concern. Particular emphasis will be given to some Italian seismic sequences.</p>

scholarly journals Climate feedbacks in the Earth system and prospects for their evaluation

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christoph Heinze ◽  
Veronika Eyring ◽  
Pierre Friedlingstein ◽  
Colin Jones ◽  
Yves Balkanski ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Models ◽  
Climate Projections ◽  
Earth System ◽  
Climate Feedbacks ◽  
Comprehensive Overview ◽  
The Earth ◽  
Cloud Dynamics ◽  
Spatial And Temporal Heterogeneity ◽  
Earth System Models

Abstract. Earth system models (ESMs) are key tools for providing climate projections under different scenarios of human-induced forcing. ESMs include a large number of additional processes and feedbacks such as biogeochemical cycles that traditional physical climate models do not consider. Yet, some processes such as cloud dynamics and ecosystem functional response still have fairly high uncertainties. In this article, we present an overview of climate feedbacks for Earth system components currently included in state-of-the-art ESMs and discuss the challenges to evaluate and quantify them. Uncertainties in feedback quantification arise from the interdependencies of biogeochemical matter fluxes and physical properties, the spatial and temporal heterogeneity of processes, and the lack of long-term continuous observational data to constrain them. We present an outlook for promising approaches that can help quantifying and constraining the large number of feedbacks in ESMs in the future. The target group for this article includes generalists with a background in natural sciences and an interest in climate change as well as experts working in interdisciplinary climate research (researchers, lecturers, and students). This study updates and significantly expands upon the last comprehensive overview of climate feedbacks in ESMs, which was produced 15 years ago (NRC, 2003).

scholarly journals The WGLC global gridded lightning climatology and time series

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (7) ◽  
pp. 3219-3237
Author(s):  
Jed O. Kaplan ◽  
Katie Hong-Kiu Lau
Keyword(s):  
Time Series ◽  
Detection Efficiency ◽  
Earth System ◽  
Maritime Continent ◽  
Lightning Stroke ◽  
The Earth ◽  
The World ◽  
The Tropics ◽  
Direct Use

Abstract. Lightning is an important atmospheric phenomenon and has wide-ranging influence on the Earth system, but few long-term observational datasets of lightning occurrence and distribution are currently freely available. Here, we analyze global lightning activity over the second decade of the 21st century using a new global, high-resolution gridded time series and climatology of lightning stroke density based on raw data from the World Wide Lightning Location Network (WWLLN). While the total number of strokes detected increases from 2010–2014, an adjustment for detection efficiency reduces this artificial trend. The global distribution of lightning shows the well-known pattern of greatest density over the three tropical terrestrial regions of the Americas, Africa, and the Maritime Continent, but we also noticed substantial temporal variability over the 11 years of record, with more lightning in the tropics from 2012–2015 and increasing lightning in the midlatitudes of the Northern Hemisphere from 2016–2020. Although the total number of strokes detected globally was constant, mean stroke power decreases significantly from a peak in 2013 to the lowest levels on record in 2020. Evaluation with independent observational networks shows that while the WWLLN does not capture peak seasonal lightning densities, it does represent the majority of powerful lightning strokes. The resulting gridded lightning dataset (Kaplan and Lau, 2021a, https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.4774528) is freely available and will be useful for a range of studies in climate, Earth system, and natural hazards research, including direct use as input data to models and as evaluation data for independent simulations of lightning occurrence.

scholarly journals Inclusion of a suite of weathering tracers in the cGENIE Earth system model – muffin release v.0.9.23

2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (7) ◽  
pp. 4187-4223
Author(s):  
Markus Adloff ◽  
Andy Ridgwell ◽  
Fanny M. Monteiro ◽  
Ian J. Parkinson ◽  
Alexander J. Dickson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Biogeochemical Cycles ◽  
Earth System Model ◽  
System Model ◽  
Earth System ◽  
The Earth ◽  
Isotopic Shifts ◽  
Box Models ◽  
Carbon Release ◽  
Geologic Record

Abstract. The metals strontium (Sr), lithium (Li), osmium (Os) and calcium (Ca), together with their isotopes, are important tracers of weathering and volcanism – primary processes which shape the long-term cycling of carbon and other biogeochemically important elements at the Earth's surface. Traditionally, because of their long residence times in the ocean, isotopic shifts in these four elements observed in the geologic record are almost exclusively interpreted with the aid of isotope-mixing, tracer-specific box models. However, such models may lack a mechanistic description of the links between the cycling of the four metals to other geochemically relevant elements, particularly carbon, or climate. Here we develop and evaluate an implementation of Sr, Li, Os and Ca isotope cycling in the Earth system model cGENIE. The model offers the possibility to study the dynamics of these metal systems alongside other more standard biogeochemical cycles, as well as their relationship with changing climate. We provide examples of how to apply this new model capability to investigate Sr, Li, Os and Ca isotope dynamics and responses to environmental change, for which we take the example of massive carbon release to the atmosphere.

scholarly journals Constraints on long term warming in a climate mitigation scenario

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Benjamin Sanderson
Keyword(s):  
Carbon Budget ◽  
System Response ◽  
Climate Mitigation ◽  
Earth System ◽  
Mitigation Scenario ◽  
The Earth ◽  
Net Zero ◽  
Negative Emissions ◽  
Near Term

Abstract. Cumulative emissions budgets and net-zero emission target dates are often used to frame climate negotiations (Frameet al., 2014; Millar et al., 2016; Van Vuuren et al., 2016; Rogelj et al., 2015b; Matthews et al., 2012). However, their utilityfor near-term policy decisions is confounded by an uncertainties in future negative emissions capacity (Fuss et al., 2014; Smith et al., 2016; Larkin et al., 2018; Anderson and Peters, 2016) and in long term Earth System response to climate forcers(Rugenstein et al., 2019; Knutti et al., 2017; Armour, 2017) which may impact the utility of an indefinite carbon budget if peak temperatures occur significantly after net zero emissions are achieved, the likelihood of which in a simple model is conditionalon prior assumptions about the long term dynamics of the Earth System. Here we illustrate that the risks associated with nearterm positive emissions can be framed using a definite cumulative emissions budget with a 2040 time horizon, allowing thenecessity and scope for negative emissions deployment later in the century to be better informed by observed warming overcoming decades.

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