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www.darwincenter.nl
Research
Understanding Earth
Biogeosciences is a field of science in which global, regional and local ecosystems are viewed in the context of a changing System Earth. The variation in spatial and temporal scales studied within the domain of Biogeosciences makes it a key discipline for a better understanding of our planet in the past, the present and the future. Understanding changes on various temporal scales will play a crucial role in our understanding of socially relevant issues in the years ahead. The challenge in Biogeosciences is to effectively combine expertise from biology and earth sciences in truly collaborative research.
Biogeochemical cycling and environmental change
We have selected and organized research lines that address change and feedback on different spatial and temporal scales. Our overall theme is the study of biogeochemical cycling and resulting environmental change. This includes reconstructions of abrupt changes in the past and their impact on biota over long time scales. Proxies are pivotal to reconstructions in the past, and proxy development requires process studies at the interface of biology and earth sciences.
Change and feedback
Perturbations of the Earth and its ecosystems result in both abrupt and slow changes. These are difficult to predict because of the many feedbacks between biota and the surrounding environment, which result in a complex interplay of process and response. The complexity is further increased by different response patterns at various spatial scales – right up to the largest scale, where we speak of System Earth. For a good understanding of System Earth, we focus on systems’ responses to both gradual and abrupt changes.
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