Earth System Science

Earth System Science examines how the earth functions and assesses the consequences of global environmental change on the biosphere and life on Earth. A multidisciplinary approach to studying Earth is used to:

identify and measure the primary natural and human factors affecting the Earth system,
understand how the Earth system responds to changes in these factors,
describe how the Earth system is changing,
identify the consequences of these changes for human civilization, and
accurately predict future changes to mitigate the predicted effects.

Earth System Science involves studying the processes and interactions among the atmosphere, hydrosphere, cryosphere, pedosphere, lithosphere, biosphere from a global to local point of view, and across the time scales in which these spheres interact. We use environmental models to describe physical, chemical, and biological processes within each sphere and the interactions among the spheres. To construct environmental models, data are collected by ground, airborne, waterborne, and spaceborne instruments.

Faculty working on Earth Systems Science at Clark University include professors Turner (global environmental change), Lewis (land degradation), Kuhn (climate change and surface processes, impact of climate change in central Massachusetts), Polsky (environmental modeling), Ratick (data analysis), Pontius (GIS), and Rogan (remote sensing).