Climate change represents one of the most pressing societal challenges of our time. A deep understanding of the causes and (biogeochemical) consequences of global warming is crucial for assessing and predicting short- and long-term climate change and its impacts and, thus, to address this challenge.
The Division of Climate and Environmental Physics is committed to advancing this process-based understanding. Its mission is to deliver quantitative insights into past climate variability and current climate processes and to develop robust projections of future climate change.
To achieve this, we apply an integrated approach, combining unique observational techniques (for example, the use of novel isotopic tracers and radionuclides to study present-day processes and reconstruct past climate) with a diverse suite of Earth System Models of varying complexity. This combination enables rigorous hypothesis testing, supports the development of future climate projections, and a robust assessment of climate change impacts and their consequences.
Overarching research questions tackled at CEP
- What controls the concentrations of atmospheric greenhouse gases in the past, present and future?
- What are the climate impacts connected to changes in radiative forcing?
- What are the short- and long-term impacts of climate change on the various components of the Earth System?
- How has the ocean affected climate in the past, how will it change in the future, how will the ocean affect future climate change through heat and carbon uptake?
- Are there thresholds, tipping points and irreversible changes in the climate system, and what controls the occurrence of such changes?
- How will the occurrence of extreme events and their biogeochemical impacts change under warmer climate conditions?
- What novel analytical techniques and data-processing methods can we provide to help improving our climate change knowledge?
- How can an improved knowledge of Earth System processes help design robust strategies for climate change adaptation and mitigation?
