AIMES Member Featured Research: Gerbrand Koren

Global Environmental Change Perspectives on Integrated, Coordinated, Open, and Networked (ICON) Science

Gerbrand Koren1, Vincenza Ferrara2,3, Madeleine Timmins4, and Monica Ainhorn Morrison5

1Copernicus Institute of Sustainable Development, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands

2Department of Archaeology and Ancient History, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden

3Department of Human Geography, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden

4Geography Department, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK

5Climate and Global Dynamics Laboratory, National Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, CO, USA

This article is composed of two independent commentaries about the state of Integrated, Coordinated, Open, Networked (ICON) principles (Goldman et al., 2021, https://doi.org/10.1029/2021eo153180) in Global Environmental Change and discussion on the opportunities and challenges of adopting them. Each commentary focuses on a different topic: (Section 2) Field, experimental, remote sensing, and real-time data research and application; (Section 3) Earth system modeling. In Section 2 we stress the inherently integrated nature of global environmental change, which necessitates an integrated approach for the planning, execution and analysis of measurement campaigns, while highlighting opportunities for wider adoption of the other ICON principles. In Section 3 the highly integrated and networked nature of Earth system model development is discussed, with suggestions for how to increase openness and coordination to enhance model application by end-user and stakeholder communities.

Key  Points:

  • Studying global environmental change can benefit from application of Integrated, Coordinated, Open, Networked (ICON) principles

  • ICON principles provide guidance for innovations in field measurement strategies and remote sensing techniques

  • Enhanced usability of climate models poses challenges and opportunities for ICON science

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