ESSC: Earth System Science Center homepage

Welcome to the ESSC Web page...

Founded within the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences in 1986, the Earth System Science Center (ESSC) maintains a mission to describe, model, and understand the Earth's climate system. ESSC is one of seven centers supported by the Earth & Environmental Systems Institute.

The climate can be viewed as a complex interacting set of components including the oceans, atmosphere, cryosphere, and biosphere. Within the ESSC, we are engaged in studies that aim to understand both these individual components, and the interactions between them.

Our approach involves:

Employing a hierarchy of theoretical climate system models to perform long-term, high resolution climate model integration experiments aimed at understanding internal and forced changes in the climate system, including modern human or "anthropogenic" impacts on climate
Emphasis on "process" to bridge problems on multiple timescales: Examining the interactions in the North Atlantic coupled ocean-atmosphere-cryosphere system, the dynamics of the tropical Pacific coupled system, the role of the hydrologic cycle and freshwater in climate change, the relationship between climate variability and synoptic-scale dynamics, and the relationship between ocean biogeochemistry and climate change
A combination of modeling, empirical analysis, and exploration of fundamental processes to investigate the behavior of the climate system. This includes coupled ocean-atmosphere climate modeling, reconstruction of past climate using paleoclimate data, the comparison of models and observations, and the study of fundamental processes in the earth system
Development of new educational tools including interactive climate modeling tools tools to service both Penn State and the broader community

Highlights...

Subscribe to the ESSC Newsletter: send a blank email to: ESSC-newsletter-L-subscribe-request@lists.psu.edu

Penn State Graduate Students! Register NOW for Fall 2012
METEO 575 Climate Dynamics Seminar is a fortnightly seminar course covering recent research on various climate-related topics. The class is a mix of discussions of recently published scientific articles and informal presentations from researchers.

Mann to recieve Hans Oeschger Medal from European Geosciences Union
ESSC Director Dr. Michael Mann has been awarded the 2012 Han Oeschger Medal from the European Geosciences Union (EGU). This medal recognizes his accomplishments within the field of climate science. This prestigious award was established in 2001 to honor outstanding scientists whose work is related to past, present, and future climates.
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Alley to receive Heinz award
ESSC Scientist Dr. Richard Alley will receive a Heinz Award for his work in climate and polar ice studies as well as outreach through program like "Earth: The Operators' Manual." The Heinz Awards, given by the Heinz Family Foundation, recognizes those who have made a significant contribution benefitting the environment.
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Climate balancing: Sea-level rise vs. surface temperature change rates
Recent research suggests geoengineering approaches which seek to reduce incoming solar energy as a way to combat rising greenhouse gas levels are an imperfect solution to the challenges of climate change. This research suggest that strategies for combating climate change need to balance the problems of sea-level rise as well as surface temperature changes. ESSC scientists Dr. Klaus Keller and Dr. Ryan Sriver participated in the research and comment on the findings.
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