Mission &Vision

Our Earth system provides essential functions that we cannot survive without on our planet. Despite its enormous complexity, the Earth system is vulnerable and is being pushed beyond its limits by human activities in key areas. This overloading of the Earth's system manifests itself, for example, in a more significant number of extreme weather events, a progressive loss of biodiversity, and other ecosystem services that are essential to us. Systematic research into the resulting effects and avoidance or adaptation strategies is the central challenge for Earth system science in the 21st century. 
The KPA ‘Intelligent Methods for Earth System Sciences’ (IMfESS) aims to better understand the processes and interrelationships of past, present, and, above all, future changes in the complex, coupled Earth system to be able to make science-based and, above all, reliable recommendations.
A new generation of tools and methods is available for this purpose: On the one hand, novel approaches for observing the Earth system and high-resolution experimental data, and on the other, simulations and analyses using intelligent calculation methods such as machine learning and efficient algorithms. In computer science and mathematics, we often develop such new methods independently of a specific application. As part of the KPA IMfESS, we promote interdisciplinary cooperation, i.e., we strive for a close connection between Earth system sciences, adjacent natural sciences, computer science, and mathematics.
 

Strengths and future potential

Our strength lies in a unique collaboration between Earth system sciences and computer science. Our strong partners, CESOC and, by extension, the ECMWF, play a major role in this. During the winter semester of 25/26, a special “Semester of Algorithmic Earth System Sciences” took place, during which numerous workshops were successfully held. The kick-off meeting and a public panel discussion were also well attended. We foster the further development and establishment of the new field of Algorithmic Earth System Sciences.

This collaboration is also reflected in teaching: In the B.Sc. and M.Sc. programs in Computer Science, the minor “Earth System Sciences” is offered, and students in the B.Sc. program in Earth and Climate Physics are introduced to programming as early as the first semester. The interdisciplinary master’s program “Computational Sciences” and the first professorship in “Computational Earth System Sciences” have also been established. Computer science will also play a role in the planned master’s program in “Climate Sciences”.

Through various collaborative projects, such as “Earth – Evolution at the Dry Limit” and “Human and Earth System Coupling Research (HESCOR),” a strong collaboration has emerged between archaeology, biology, and Earth system sciences, which we support. With the addition of new professorships, energy economics will also be included, representing an important field of application for meteorology and geophysics.

In addition, the broad-based infrastructure is to be further strengthened: The globally unique platform for geochronology at the UoC, where various methods enable the dating of geological material and thus the reconstruction of past climates, as well as the competence centres within the Geoverbund ABC/J and further infrastructure for atmospheric research, in which observations of the current climate are the main focus.

Success stories

VW-Stiftung

In line with the KPA IMfESS strategy, the project “Soil and Landscape Dynamics – Quantifying Processes in Earth’s Critical Zone” has been awarded funding by the Volkswagen Foundation. Over a period of six years, funding will be provided for a junior professorship, held by JProf. Svenja Riedesel, including a research group. Svenja Riedesel’s “Critical Zone Research” group is ideally suited to conduct research in the interdisciplinary field of Earth system sciences. The KPA is now funding the interdisciplinary project titled “Critical Zone Research in the Polar Region – Svalbard,” in which geographer Svenja Riedesel will collaborate with meteorologist Eva Pfannerstill and geobiologist Christine Heim.

Reinhart Koselleck project

The German Research Foundation (DFG) has granted funding for a joint Reinhart Koselleck project involving two researchers from the University of Cologne: Professor Dr Susanne Crewell from the Institute of Geophysics and Meteorology and Professor Dr Christian Sohler from the Institute of Computer Science. Over a period of five years, the project Sublinear algorithms for meteorology aims to explore how advanced algorithmic methods from computer science can be further developed to analyse large-scale meteorological datasets and improve cloud modelling. The research project will receive 1.25 million euros in funding. Reinhart Koselleck Projects are awarded exclusively to outstanding researchers with a proven scientific track record to pursue exceptionally innovative and higher-risk research projects.

Participating persons, groups, and partners

Since 2022, there is the key profile area “Intelligent Methods for Earth System Sciences” within the University of Cologne next to eight key profile areas (KPA).

The institutes/institutions initially involved belong to the University of Cologne, three institutes in the Department of Earth Sciences and two institutes in the Department of Mathematics / Computer Science. Guest scientists, in particular through the Global Faculty Programme, as well as partner institutions expand the circle of participating scientists.

The Center for Data and Simulation Science (CDS) and the Computing Center (ITCC) provide capacities for data analysis and simulations.

With the strong regional partners, i.e. the University of Bonn as well as the Research Center Jülich, the University of Cologne (UzK) has already established the Center for Earth System Observation and Computational analysis (CESOC), which links the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) with research. 

In addition, there are other research infrastructures, such as the worldwide unique platform for geochronology at the UoC (e.g. with the CologneAMS), as well as the competence centers within the Geoverbundes ABC/J, such as the Isotope GeoScience Centre (IGSC4i) and the Cloud and Precipitation Exploration Laboratory (CPEX-LAB).

The ideas of the KPA already play a central role in ongoing projects (Collaborative projects) and are also reflected in the small projects and workshops directly funded by the KPA IMfESS.