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The vast complexity of the Earth system requires integrating physical, chemical, ecological and human processes in solid, aqueous and gaseous phases across 17 orders of magnitude in space. No single institute can sufficiently address all aspects and develop an integrated picture alone. Moreover, there often has been a divide between theory and model-driven science on the one hand, and observation and data-driven science on the other hand, as well as between more physically and more biologically oriented Earth system disciplines.

Research portfolio of the center addressing Biophysical, Biogeochemical and Biophysiological/Ecological aspects of land in the Earth system (angular coordinate) across time- scales (radial coordinate). @Winkler & Reichstein
Complementary perspectives on the Earth system (left: mechanistic and right: data-driven) which will be unified in the proposed MC3 4 Earth Center with an emphasis on land-surface- atmosphere interactions. Left panel is from Bretherton’s NASA report (1986), reproduced in Steffen et al. 2020, Nature Reviews Earth; Right Panel from Reichstein et al. (2019), Nature

Synergistic Goals

The synergy and added value of the envisioned center thus lies in at least three dimensions:

  1. Bridging theory- and data-driven modeling paradigms
  2. Bridging spatial scales and approaches from molecular to global scales
  3. Linking expertise in physical, chemical physiological, ecological and sustainability science

 

Research Areas

Research projects will encompass all aspects of land-atmosphere interaction and both domain science question driven and methodological research, for instance:

  • Linking satellite retrievals of atmospheric trace gases and sun-induced fluorescence to biospheric activity
  • Atmospheric trace substance emissions & deposition incl. aerosol formation and reactive nitrogen species
  • Mechanistic hybrid and causal modeling of soil moisture – atmosphere – vegetation feedbacks
  • Surface-Moisture Fluxes Influence on Low-Cloud formation
  • Understanding disturbance events with spatio-temporal machine learning
  • Hybrid modelling of vegetation and soil turnover, using ISRaD, FLUXCOM and Biomass observations
  • Modelling ecosystem manipulation experiments with CMIP5/6 using causal and transfer learning approaches

Training and Mobility

Our center offers an unique exchange program between the participating institutes to foster the mobility of researchers and expose them to the diverse Earth system and machine learning expertise at the partner institutions and provide them with opportunities to advance their scientific, modeling, and data analytical skills. 

 

We offer

  • interdisciplinary PhD and PostDoc projects
  • summer schools with hackathons in different partner locations
  • fellowship programs for visits and exchanges between partners
  • digital communication channels and code sharing 

The MC³ 4 Earth Center is a collaboration of the Max Planck Institute of Biogeochemistry, Max Planck Institute for Chemistry, California Institute of Technology, Carnegie Institution for Science (Department of Global Ecology) and Columbia University. It's coordination and Max-Planck research is funded by the Max Planck Foundation.

Contact: Stefanie Johnson (sjohnson@bgc-jena.mpg.de)

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