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Program Domain

Earth Systems and Society

Our mission is to provide decision-relevant insight at the interface of human and natural systems to support resiliency of energy, water, agriculture, and built environments in the face of global and regional change.

Programs

Program

Climate Modeling

This program aims to develop global process-resolving models to help quantify the roles of climate feedbacks in anthropogenic climate change. Abrupt and extreme climate changes from anthropogenic warming pose some of the greatest risks to society and the environment. Understanding of the complex interactions involved with feedbacks is critical.

Christina Marie Patricola cmpatricola@lbl.gov

Background

The Earth Systems and Society (ESS) Program Domain seeks to understand how humans influence climatic, ecological, and hydrological processes across a range of scales, as well as the risks faced by human systems on a changing planet. We build upon quantitative expertise in climate and ecosystem science from across the division to:

  • Improve predictive understanding of climate and ecosystem dynamics at decision-relevant scales
  • Assess the environmental implications of alternative pathways of human development
  • Identify pathways to resiliency for water, energy, agricultural, and urban systems

ESS is one of four Program Domains within the Climate and Ecosystem Sciences Division.

Program Domain Leads

Andrew D. Jones
Program Domain Lead for Earth Systems and Society

News & Events

Study Sheds Light on Microbial Communities in Earth’s Subsurface

August 16, 2023

  From the tops of tree canopies to the bottom of groundwater reservoirs, a vast amount of living organisms interact with nonliving components such as rock, water, and soil to shape this area of Earth known as the “critical zone.” Over half of Earth’s microbes are located in the subsurface critical zone, which ranges from…

DOE Funds Projects to Advance Forest Carbon Dioxide Removal Efforts and Agricultural Soil Carbon Conservation

August 1, 2023

The DOE Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management (FECM) and Office of Technology Transitions (OTT) recently announced $5 million in funding for four projects–two from Berkeley Lab with EESA leadership. The projects selected offer “promising solutions” to the nation’s climate change challenges by helping to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and will “accelerate their deployment…

Quantifying the strength of the land carbon sink

July 26, 2023

This article first appeared at nature.berkeley.edu/news. The world’s forests, grasslands, and other terrestrial ecosystems have played a substantial role in offsetting human carbon emissions—a capability that UC Berkeley researchers say would be threatened by continued global change. The assessment, published today as a new review paper in Nature Reviews Earth & Environment, presents a comprehensive analysis of…

EESA Scientists Close Rhizosphere Microbiome Knowledge Gaps

July 20, 2023

The rhizosphere–the region of soil surrounding plant roots in which soil and microbes closely interact–plays an important role in soil carbon cycling. The rhizosphere is only about 1-2% of Earth’s soil volume but can store up to 30-40% of Earth’s total soil organic matter. Plants secrete organic compounds such as amino acids or enzymes known…

A Q&A with Kripa Jagannathan

April 26, 2023

After interacting with coastal farming communities who experienced sea level rise and other direct impacts of climate change, Research Scientist Kripa Jagannathan recognized that environmental problems are livelihood issues for many communities around the world. This led her to EESA working as a social scientist, helping to facilitate the co-production of knowledge–a type of research…

New Look at Climate Data Shows Substantially Wetter Rain and Snow Days Ahead

April 24, 2023

Research shows that by the end of the century the biggest rain and snow days will be 20 to 30% wetter than they are today

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