Earth System Science and Analysis

Earth System Science and Analysis

This course provides knowledge on the Earth system as viewed through 4 spheres (biosphere, geosphere, hydrosphere, and atmosphere), including Earth’s evolution over the 4.5 billion years of its existence, and highlighting the importance of the carbon, nutrient, and water cycles for life on our planet. It introduces students to Earth and its resources, from a system dynamics perspective, and as a guiding analogy for sustainable systems. The course follows an interdisciplinary approach that blends biological, chemical, and physical perspectives not just qualitatively, but also quantitatively using Python programming. Finally, this course also introduces students to Earth system models, their capabilities, and limitations.

This course is part of the joint degree MSc Industrial Ecology, offered by Leiden University and Delft University of Technology. More information about the course is published in the online study guide of Leiden University