Global Change
Nature has always produced global environmental changes, and today human activities influence global and regional change. Our task is to understand the earth system well enough that we can predict global change, and wisely choose how to respond to current and potential future changes.
Natural Resources and Hazards
Mitigating the consequences of natural hazards and exploiting natural resources are both vital challenges to the improvement of the lives of Earth’s citizens. Our responsibility is to advance knowledge and train students to optimize the availability of natural resources and to improve responses to natural hazards.
Co-Evolution of Earth and Life
The chemical and physical conditions of Earth and life on Earth have evolved together, each linked to the other. To understand the processes and history over long time scales, we must understand how the deep earth exchanges with Earth's surface.
The mission of the Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences is to advance knowledge of Earth's natural systems and history, and to develop future leaders.
Understanding of Earth's system is essential to the prosperity and future of society. Our graduates will be leaders in the application of earth sciences to betterment of life, in setting public policy, in education of an earth-savvy public, and in better understanding the earth system.