Earth System Science

Understanding how our planet works

Our goal is to understand, predict, and respond to human-caused and natural environmental change at local to global scales. Scientists in our Earth System Science department offer strong graduate research programs across a broad range of environmental and Earth science disciplines for students working toward master's and doctoral degrees. Undergraduate and coterminal master's degrees are offered through the closely-related and popular Earth Systems Program.

Meet some of our community members

Beneath the waves

When water stops flowing

A natural living laboratory

Cultivating diverse communities

Research groups in Earth system science

Learn more about our faculty labs and research groups ranging from ocean biogeochemistry to soil science and geohydrology.

Shared analytical facilities

Students and faculty start their examination of specimens in our comprehensive Earth Materials Preparation lab. Our shared labs offer everything from gas, liquid, and solid analyses to isotopic analysis for geochronology and deciphering (bio)geochemical processes.

Stanford Geospatial Center

Housed in Branner library, the center offers workshops on Geographic Information Systems (GIS), data management, visualization tools, and spatial analysis.

Events related to Earth system science

19Feb

26Feb

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Earth system science news

Alexandra Konings receives NSF CAREER Award

The assistant professor of Earth system science received a 2020 National Science Foundation (NSF) CAREER Award to explore new ways of understanding how plants respond to the weather.

Could climate change bring more landslides to High Mountain Asia?

Researchers used satellite estimates and modeled precipitation data to show warming temperatures will cause more intense rainfall in some areas of the High Mountain Asia region, and this could lead to increased landslide activity in the border region of China and Nepal.

A foundation built on oil embraces the green revolution

Rockefeller Foundation president Rajiv Shah discusses Atlas AI, a company focused on social impact that was co-founded by Stanford's David Lobell, Marshall Burke and Stefano Ermon.

Facebook ads promoted debunked information on Australia fires

Days after completing a formal fact-checking review, Facebook removed an ad containing misinformation about Australia's deadly wildfires. Noah Diffenbaugh explains how climate change elevates wildfire risk.

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