Network EOS - Integrated Earth Observation System

Climate and earth research

For many years, scientists have regarded climate change as an incontrovertible fact, and that the significant contribution comes from anthropogenic causes as highly likely. Because of the intensive research carried out over the past few decades and the publication of the results in the Fourth Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate change (IPCC) in 2007, the threatening scenarios of climate change are now part of public awareness and on the political agenda. Plausible future scenarios show the potential of climate change to alter and destabilize ecological, economic and social structures. The prospects of drastic changes in global and regional climates caused by the speed of global warming at a pace heretofore unknown have intensified the calls for options to address the problem from scientists and politicians.

It can be safely assumed that global climate change will continue to the end of this century. The effects on regional climates and the consequences for regional ecological and urban systems are, however, so far only starting to be understood. Compared with the global mean, it can be shown by paleoclimatological investigations that it is precisely regional climate change on the continents, which is where people actually live, which reveals by far the highest dynamics. The challenge facing scientists is to continue to quantify the effects of natural and anthropogenic factors influencing the vehemence of global climate change and, by obtaining a fuller understanding of how the entire system functions, to identify the regional effects of climate change on mankind’s living and economic environment in such way that threats become evident and responsible counterstrategies can be developed.

State-of-the-art-technology and scientific expertise

The network EOS (Earth Observation System) brings together for this purpose the geoscientific competence of key research centers: Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar- and Marine Research (AWI), German Aerospace Center (DLR), Forschungszentrum Jülich (FZJ), German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ), GKSS Research Centre in Geesthacht and Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT). Together, these six Helmholtz Centers have available a unique diversity of infrastructure which includes, besides research ships and aircraft, the latest satellite sensors and mainframe computers. Seven research topics – from studying and analyzing atmospheric, hydrological and ecological systems and processes to monitoring individual dangers and risks in a changing environment to developing new earth observation methodologies – comprise the framework for subjects addressed by the research association. A joint doctoral program with openings for 42 students additionally stimulates close scientific collaboration among the participating centers. Numerous cooperative activities with universities form another important pillar of interdisciplinary research. The EOS network employs state-of-the-art technology and its scientific expertise to make a valuable contribution to discussions about the climate and develops scientifically sound short-, mid- and long-term recommendations and strategies for political decision makers.

	First Autumn School of the Network EOS successfully held November 16, 2009 The first Autumn School of the Network EOS was held from 26 to 29 October at the "Haus der bayerischen Landwirtschaft" in Herrsching. The workshop convened more than 30 PhDs and 20 further experts in order to discuss their work on the seven topics of the network. Both the organization and conduction of the event were in the responsibility of the "Cluster for Applied Remote Sensing" of DLR. Authorized users can download the presentations given during the event from this website. more
	Invitation to the first Autumn School of the Network EOS July 13, 2009 DLR invites all PhDs of EOS to join the 1. Autumn School, being organized at the Haus der bayerischen Landwirtschaft in Herrsching. Program (in German) (Download) more
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