Holistic approach to understanding Earth System science

Holistic approach to understanding Earth System science
by Simon Mansfield
Sydney, Australia (SPX) Sep 20, 2024

A new white paper by a multidisciplinary team of scientists from China presents an expansive definition of Earth system science. The paper outlines that Earth's system includes both internal and external geospheres, spanning from the planet's core to the Sun-Earth space system. This broad approach covers a variety of components, including the solid Earth (core, mantle, and crust), the surface systems (atmosphere, biosphere, hydrosphere), and extends to outer space affected by solar activity. The paper highlights that while considerable progress has been made in individual Earth science disciplines, understanding the interactions and behavior between different geospheres remains a significant challenge.

Earth system science focuses on understanding the energy and matter transfers between these geospheres and subsystems across scales. This interdisciplinary field studies the physical, chemical, and biological interactions within the entire Earth system, adopting a holistic perspective that integrates processes at both microscopic and macroscopic levels.

One critical area discussed is the solid Earth system, consisting of the crust, mantle, and core. Material and heat are primarily transferred through plate subduction and mantle convection, but current observational technologies face difficulties in penetrating deep into the mantle. The extreme conditions - such as high temperature, pressure, and magnetic fields - pose additional challenges to data collection and experimentation in these environments.

The surface Earth system is characterized by complex interactions among various geospheres (e.g., atmosphere, hydrosphere, biosphere, lithosphere). The paper emphasizes the impact of biological activities, including human influence, on global environmental changes. Understanding the coupling between internal and external Earth systems is complicated, particularly when trying to distinguish the effects of geospherical interactions and biological processes.

The Sun-Earth space system involves significant solar activity, Earth's magnetic field, and space weather, all of which affect Earth's space environment. The report notes that existing models and observational techniques still lack precision and accuracy in predicting solar activity and space weather impacts. Improving predictive capabilities in these areas is considered a key challenge.

Research Report:Due to the nonlinear and multi-scale nature of these processes, understanding Earth system behavior requires complex theoretical modeling and numerical simulations. The study of Earth system science, therefore, calls for deeper interdisciplinary collaboration to uncover the fundamental laws and operational mechanisms of the Earth system.