Environmental processes and natural risks of the system of Earth

As a system, the Earth is subject to dynamic change that has influenced, and will continue to influence, the natural environment of the past, present and the future, and thus, society as well. Identifying those environmental factors that have brought about change in the past permit conclusions as to recent systems, and vice versa. It makes it possible to estimate the environmental impact of social activity, as well as to analyse and assess its potential dangers and risks.

The process-oriented approaches to research of this area are aimed at identifying the interrelationships between human beings, the biosphere and the geosphere. In order to understand these complex  connections, components of the geosystem – for instance, soil, sediments, bodies of water, groundwater, glaciers, pollutants, nutrients, trace gases, fossils and climate archives – are analysed, modelled and studied with regard to their interactions.

The main aspects examined are interactions with societal processes involving use of land and resources, ecosystem management, water supply, behaviour of environmental pollutants, waste management, natural dangers and risk research. The results obtained are structured in geo-databases and visualised dynamically in a user-oriented way.

The aim of this key research area is to achieve a better understanding of environmental processes in order to improve the surveying and forecasting of the dynamics of surface processes in the complex system of Earth and humans. This also includes questions of the sustainable preservation of the basis of life.