What We Do

The Integrated Earth System Dynamics Laboratory tackles difficult interdisciplinary problems related to the functioning of the Human-Earth system.

Climate

Global climate models and climate change

Ecosystems

Large-scale ecosystem processes and biogeochemistry

Humans

Human activity and well-being within the Earth system framework

Material Flows

Extraction, transport and transformation of Earth System materials

Humans are a major component of the Earth system, with global impacts on biogeochemistry, ecology and climate.
But the study of human and non-human systems has been fragmented among disciplines.
There is an urgent need to build new understandings that cross traditional disciplinary boundaries, oriented towards the future of human well-being and the welfare of life on Earth.

The IESD laboratory aims to build new knowledge about important, interesting and poorly-understood aspects of the Human-Earth system.

Our research does not restrict itself to traditional disciplinary boundaries, but applies whatever tools necessary to address the problems at hand, including elements of climate science, ecology, social sciences and complex systems theory.

Approaches we use:
• Assembling and analyzing large datasets
• Building and running numerical models
• Developing simple theory for complex systems