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Next Generation Earth Systems Science at the National Science Foundation (2022) / Chapter Skim
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2 NSF's Role in Next Generation Earth Systems Science
Pages 33-46

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From page 33...
... . 2.1 SYSTEMS APPROACHES TO STUDYING THE EARTH The study of the Earth system has deep historical roots, but arguably systems thinking as an approach for the science emerged in the middle of the 20th century (von Bertalanffy, 1968)
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From page 34...
... , resulting in an increasingly sophisticated understanding of the causes and consequences of climate change and of biogeochemical cycles. In 1999 the National Research Council released the report, Our Common Journey: A Transition Toward Sustainability, which attempted to "reinvigorate the essential strategic connections between scientific research, technological development, and societies' efforts to achieve environmentally sustainable improvements in human well-being" (NRC, 1999)
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From page 35...
... They concentrate on understanding, designing, and managing systems of interworking components, including humans and human systems, that work together to perform a useful function, such as communication and transportation systems, the development and operation of renewable energy systems, complex civil construction and operation, and combined spacebased and ground data support systems (e.g., Revelle et al., 2003; NASA, 2007; Boehm et al., 2008; MITRE, 2014)
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From page 36...
... . Part of the decline stems from decreasing water availability over the period, but much of the change stems from social drivers arising from population growth, urban expansion, and regional to global economic drivers (Cox, 2014b)
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From page 37...
... NSF'S ROLE IN NEXT GENERATION EARTH SYSTEMS SCIENCE 37 FIGURE 2.1  Studying the acequias. NOTE: Thushara Gunda and Vince Tidwell studied how shared fates and experiences help acequias withstand changes in water availability due to climate change.
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From page 38...
... . Adding climate intervention processes will, at least for some methods, add significantly more uncertainty and will involve dialogue regarding relevant processes as well as intended and unintended outcomes.
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From page 39...
... One example of next generation Earth Systems Science is the effort to more sustainably manage global nutrient cycles of nitrogen and phosphorus that underpin humanity's ability to produce food (see Box 2.3)
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From page 40...
... Science that studies global nutrient cycling can provide valuable insights so that society's use of nu trients can become sustainable, with improved efficiency of use and tight recycling flows that maintain high agricultural productivity, minimize losses to the environment, and sustain nutrient supplies by recycling nutrients in wastes (Elser, 2012; Reis et al., 2016)
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From page 41...
... , with linear flows from large atmospheric and geologic pools to the hydrosphere, leading to water quality degradation, harmful algal blooms, and coastal dead zones. A next generation Earth Systems Science approach to nitrogen and phosphorus cycling would encompass not only physicochemical and biological processes but also socioeconomic, political, and behavioral processes that drive fertilizer demand, food choices, farming practices, water management, and waste handling.
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From page 42...
... The time is ripe for an Earth Systems Science that recognizes the urgency to inform decisions about human stewardship of the planet; builds on the scientific advances of the previous decades; incorporates all relevant disciplines, approaches, and perspectives into convergent approaches; utilizes the vast expansion in data and advances in computation; takes advantage of new analysis methods; and addresses the mandate for diversity and inclusion of a wide range of perspectives in the endeavor. The committee's vision for an integrated approach to studies of the Earth system is as follows: A next generation Earth Systems Science approach that explores inter actions among natural and social processes that affect the Earth's capacity for sustaining life, now and in the future.
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From page 43...
... 2017. Contrasting carbon cycle responses of the tropical continents to the 2015–2016 El Niño.
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From page 44...
... 2010. Biogeophysical versus biogeo chemical climate response to historical anthropogenic land cover change.
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From page 45...
... NSF'S ROLE IN NEXT GENERATION EARTH SYSTEMS SCIENCE 45 von Bertalanffy, L
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Key Terms

  • climate intervention
  • research letters
  • global warming
  • intervention methods
  • mitigate climate

  • climate variability
  • global nutrient
  • produce food
  • water availability
  • science approach

  • multiple layers
  • taos valley
  • biogeochemical cycles
  • food production
  • technological development

  • future climate
  • national climate
  • climate research
  • convergent research
  • global environmental

  • world climate
  • climate response
  • national economies
  • adding climate
  • chemical climate

  • climate model
  • physical climate
  • past climate
  • cycle responses
  • desert environment


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