About ESS

The Department of Earth System Science

Established in 1995 by Dr. Ralph Cicerone, the Department of Earth System Science (ESS) was the first department in the nation founded specifically to study how humans interact with the earth system to alter climate, element cycles, and atmospheric chemistry.

The ESS mission is to contribute through research and teaching to a fundamental scientific understanding of the Earth as a coupled system, to train the next generation of scientists, to provide environmental science relevant to society, and to engage the public about global change.

Thirty years after its founding, ESS remains committed to its original interdisciplinary nature, maintaining broad and exceptional academic strengths in Earth sciences with a strong quantitative focus. ESS aims to develop a fundamental understanding of Earth system processes and interactions that drive global environmental change. Climate change will remain one of the major threats to sustainability over this century; and research on its causes, consequences, and solutions underpins much of the ESS endeavor. This aim is achieved by integrating measurements and model simulations of the Earth system with analyses of human interactions and how they alter our environment. Research and educational offerings are motivated by:

(1) Discovering the dynamics of the Earth system. ESS brings together the ever-expanding stream of measurements and model simulations to discover and explain Earth system changes, identify irreversible ones, and understand causality in terms of what controls these changes.

(2) Characterizing global change through interactions between climate change, the Earth system, and society. ESS improves our understanding of the functioning of the Earth system by examining the interactions and feedback loops between human actions and the physical, chemical, and biological processes that regulate the planet.

(3) Projecting change in the Earth system. ESS integrates critical Earth system processes within models to create robust projections of the Earth and how it will respond to different contemporary and future socio-economic choices. This information is essential for designing effective and equitable mitigation and adaptation strategies.

(4) Developing solutions to manage the Earth system sustainably. ESS creates new technical solutions that accelerate the transition to a carbon-free economy and limit damages from a changing climate. This is accomplished by designing new technologies that improve outcomes for decisionmakers, objective verifications, and training a climate-ready workforce.

 

Belonging in Earth System Science

ESS is committed to Inclusive Excellence and to a collegial environment in which to learn and work.  All members of the ESS community are expected to follow the ESS code of conduct and the School of Physical Sciences Statement of Professional Conduct. The ESS department actively promotes multi-disciplinary and interdisciplinary research collaborations and promotes in-person interactions to enable cutting-edge geoscience research.

 

In Memoriam

Professor Ralph Cicerone (1943-2016). Ralph established the Department. He was a trusted mentor and provided critical leadership in climate change and atmospheric science as a faculty member, Department Chair, Dean of the School of Physical Sciences, Chancellor of our university, and President of the National Academy of Sciences.  

Professor Emeritus William “Bill” S. Reeburgh (1940-2021). Bill was a founding professor of the Department and served as Chair from 2000 to 2003. With his students, he vastly expanded our understanding of methane biogeochemistry in marine and terrestrial environments. 

The Department of Earth System Science acknowledges our presence on the ancestral and unceded territory of the Acjachemen and Tongva peoples, who still hold strong cultural, spiritual and physical ties to this region.