Interdisciplinary Conference of Young Earth System Scientists

An international and interdisciplinary conference is being organised by ICYESS for young scientists (Master's and PhD students as well as young PostDocs). The conference will bring together scientists from various disciplines contributing to the understanding of processes and interactions in the Earth system. This also includes natural and anthropogenic forces of its transformation, the impacts of global change on ecological and social systems as well as human responses to this change. This conference addresses natural, social and political sciences, economics and sustainability research.If you consider yourself a young Earth system scientist, ICYESS is for you.

The primary aim of the conference is to promote interdisciplinary exchange and mutual understanding between the diversity of research fields in Earth system science. ICYESS gives you the opportunity to present and discuss your research in an interactive and innovative way. It will provide you with the possibility of expanding your contacts and networks at an early stage of your career.

The conference will focus on uncertainties in Earth system sciences. There is a multitude of causes for uncertainties in different research fields and they are sometimes multiplied in interdisciplinary research. Examples include:

• Limited understanding of physical, chemical and biological processes and interactions;
• Finite resources in modelling, observation and analysis;
• Limited understanding of environmental impacts on the Anthroposphere;
• Uncertainties in the context of  Earth system governance, its goals, effects and costs;
• Societal interpretation of scientific knowledge and its limits.

These types of uncertainties and its consequences are dealt with in our daily scientific work; they are explicit focus, implicit motivation, boundary condition or constraint to our work. In this conference you can explore ways of embedding your own research into the bigger question of how your specific discipline deals with uncertainty.

To guide our discussion we will have three invited lectures:

• Physical aspects of the Earth system by Eli Tziperman (Harvard University, US)
• Economics of climate, energy and the environment by Richard Tol (University of Sussex, UK)
• Environmental law and politics by Joyeeta Gupta (University of Amsterdam, NL)

To participate in ICYESS means to make an active contribution. You will have the opportunity to your research and give an assessment of how you deal with uncertainty in your work or respective discipline. Uncertainty as common focus of all presentations will guide the interdisciplinary discussions throughout the conference.

Information about participation and registration may be obtained from http://meetings.copernicus.org/icyess2013/home.html