Key Profile Area Intelligent Methods for Earth System Sciences
The Key Profile Area ‘Intelligent Methods for Earth System Science’ (IMfESS) aims to advance Earth system science by developing a new generation of methods using novel observations, simulations, and computational analyses to improve our understanding of the Earth system in the past, present, and future. This means that we can provide the expertise needed to monitor and predict environmental changes for a variety of applications, supporting political decision-makers in the process.
Through our innovative interdisciplinary approach, we foster close connections between Earth system sciences and neighbouring natural sciences, such as physics, chemistry and biology, as well as computer science and mathematics. This interdisciplinary approach enables applications in fields such as astronomy, environmental sciences and energy.
Contacts
Prof. Dr. Susanne Crewell
Spokesperson
Institut für Geophysik und Meteorologie
Prof. Dr. Tony Reimann
Spokesperson
Geographisches Institut
Prof. Dr. Christian Sohler
Spokesperson
Institut für Informatik
Dr. Katja Sperveslage
Administrative Coordinator
Institut für Geophysik und Meteorologie
Participating faculties
Global Faculty Members
Scientists from various countries are currently participating in the IMfESS KPA as part of the Global Faculty Program.
Here you can find all members of the Global Faculty Program at the University of Cologne.
Collaborative and third-party funded projects
The KPA IMfESS is linked to several collaborative and third-party funded projects; here is a selection from the complete list:
Transfer
The lecture series 'Modern Earth System Sciences: Complex, Digital, Interdisciplinary' is held once a year. Beyond the knowledge transfer in general, it also forms part of the teaching programme for Studium Integrale students.
The KPA participates in a long-standing collaboration with the German Weather Service (DWD) Hans Ertel Centre for Weather Research which is a joint research initiative involving several German universities and the DWD. There is also cooperation with IDEA-S4S, which is a collaboration between Italy and Germany promoting scientific research and supporting the training of new researchers in the field of climate science.
The Climate OER (Open Educational Resources) project and the University Partnership for Atmospheric Sciences (UPAS) are helping to strengthen the study of meteorology and its public image.
Teaching
Unique combination of Earth system sciences and computer science in teaching:
- Bachelor's degree programme in Computer Science (since the winter semester of 2024/2025) with a minor in ‘Earth and Climate Physics’
- Computer Science Master's programme with ‘Earth and Atmosphere’ as an applied subject
- The only professorship for ‘Computational Earth System Science’ in Germany
- Master's degree programme ‘Computational Science’ (since the winter semester of 2022/2023; coordinated by the Institute of Geophysics and Meteorology), where the specialization area Earth System Sciences leads to joint Master's theses
- International Master's programme in ‘Climate Science’ coming soon
Partnerships
The KPA IMfESS cooperation network includes both regional and international universities and AUFs.
Regional partnerships
- University of Bonn
- Forschungszentrum Jülich
- ECMWF is the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF)
- Deutscher Wetterdienst (DWD)
International partnerships
- Universität Bologna, Italy
- State University of New York, USA
- University of Warwick, UK
Research infrastructures
- Platform for geochronology consisting of CologneAMS (University of Cologne Centre for Accelerator Mass Spectrometry), Cologne Luminescence Laboratory (CLL), multi-collector plasma mass spectrometer in geochemistry and the clean room for sample preparation
- Platform for atmospheric measurements: JOYCE (Jülich Observatory for Cloud Evolution, doi.org/10.1175/BAMS-D-14-00105.1) as part of the European research infrastructure ACTRIS (The Aerosol, Clouds and Trace Gases Research Infrastructure), Cologne (meteorological measuring station)
Media
The video on the former Competence Area III - Quantitative Modelling of Complex Systems and two podcast series can be accessed on the KPA IMfESS knowledge transfer website:
- Geography podcast: Geonauten (link to Podigee)
- Meteorology podcast: Konvergenzzone (link to UPAS)
The KPA is also active on Instagram on the following two channels: #geomet.cologne and #geo.uzk.