Stanford Environmental Earth System Science

Elucidating Land-Climate, Ocean-Climate Feedbacks

Interactions between the ocean, atmosphere, land, cryosphere, and biosphere control Earth's climate. Research performed within the EESS department aims to characterize and model the fundamental dynamics of the climate system to predict its response to anthropogenic forcing and to provide avenues for mitigation.

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Defining Changes in Global Elemental Cycles

From major elements such as carbon and nitrogen to trace elements such as arsenic and uranium, faculty and students in the EESS department study the biological, chemical, and physical processes driving their cycling through land systems (including soils, lakes, streams, and groundwater), oceans, and atmosphere.

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Deciphering and Forecasting Land Use Change

Land change science has emerged as a fundamental component of global environmental change and sustainability research. This interdisciplinary field seeks to understand the dynamics of land cover and land use.

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Resolving Ocean & Ecosystem Response to Global Change

The environment is constantly changing and these changes, natural or man made, may have severe repercussions on the health of the earth's ecosystems. The EESS department studies if and how these ecosystems adapt and evolve in response to these external pressures.

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Determining Sustainable Land and Water Practices

The earth resources that feed and shelter populations are limited, coveted and precious. The EESS department researches the best practices such that future generations may enjoy the same benefits from the earth's ecosystems that we do today.

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Welcome to EESS

Our goal is to understand, predict, and respond to human-caused and natural environmental change at local to global scales. To take on this challenge, we strive to investigate the complexity of the global system, including the interactions, synergies, and feedbacks that link the oceans, atmosphere, land surfaces, and freshwater systems. Through the graduate and undergraduate programs, we will train a new generation of scientists that comprehend the multiple facets of environmental processes.
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Graduate Admissions Deadline

The deadline for Graduate Admissions is Tuesday, December 10, 2013 by 5 p.m. PST. Learn more.

Helpful Links

Upcoming Events

Feb 18

Carnegie Institution for Science - Global Ecology Seminar: Marion O'Leary

3:30 PM - Turing Auditorium, Polya Hall

Carnegie Institution for Science - Department of Global Ecology

Feb 19

Joint EESS/GES Winter Seminar Series, Andrew Ridgwell, University of Bristol

2:15 PM - GeoCorner, Room 220

Department of Environmental Earth System Science

Feb 26

Joint EESS/GES Winter Seminar Series, David Fike, Washington University

2:15 PM - GeoCorner, Room 220

Department of Environmental Earth System Science

Mar 5

Joint EESS/GES Winter Seminar Series, Carl Simpson, Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of Natural History

2:15 PM - GeoCorner, Room 220

Department of Environmental Earth System Science

Mar 12

Joint EESS/GES Winter Seminar Series, Kliti Grice, Curtin University

2:15 PM - GeoCorner, Room 220

Department of Environmental Earth System Science

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Graduate Student Adventures

Mandy McLean from China- August 2012

你好 folks! As you may have guessed from my greeting, I am writing this message to you from China. My travels initially brought me to Beijing where I studied Mandarin for a few weeks and met with fellow researchers at Peking University and the Chinese Academy of Sciences. I have since moved westward to my field site in Zhangye where I am studying sustainable water management for irrigated agriculture.

Departments & Programs

Department of Energy Resources Engineering

Department of Environmental Earth System Science

Department of Geological & Environmental Sciences

Department of Geophysics

Earth Systems Program

Emmett Interdisciplinary Program in Environment & Resources

Computational Geoscience Program

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Elucidating Land-Climate, Ocean-Climate Feedbacks

Defining Changes in Global Elemental Cycles

Deciphering and Forecasting Land Use Change

Resolving Ocean & Ecosystem Response to Global Change

Determining Sustainable Land and Water Practices

Welcome to EESS

Graduate Admissions Deadline

Helpful Links

Recent News

Nearly 6,000 Gas Leaks Discovered under Washington D.C.

Antarctic Mysteries Lecture Feb. 10, 7:30 p.m.

Climate change award to Chris Field

A Ridiculously Resilient Ridge and the California drought

Upcoming Events

Carnegie Institution for Science - Global Ecology Seminar: Marion O'Leary

Joint EESS/GES Winter Seminar Series, Andrew Ridgwell, University of Bristol

Joint EESS/GES Winter Seminar Series, David Fike, Washington University

Joint EESS/GES Winter Seminar Series, Carl Simpson, Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of Natural History

Joint EESS/GES Winter Seminar Series, Kliti Grice, Curtin University

Graduate Student Adventures

Environmental Earth System Science

Related Resources

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