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• The Earth system is an integrated, interdisciplinary system.

Earth system science (ESS) is focused on the interactions between several disciplines that determine the state and evolution of our planet. Data, tools, and models together are fundamental for examining the complex Earth system and shaping our understanding. Data provides the foundation for building scientific arguments. Tools process and analyze the data in order to produce useful information. Models are more refined tools that incorporate data to simulate part or all of the Earth system.

• Humanity is a part of the Earth system.

Techniques for studying the Earth system contribute to public understanding of the interactions between human society and the environment. One example is the use of remote sensing technology to monitor and assess the erosion of the coastline of Beaufort Lagoon in Alaska. Erosion in the Arctic is important to the native communities who reside in the region, as well as to the companies that manage petroleum drilling operations. Another example is the use of geographic information systems to map land mines in southern Africa targeted for removal.

• Study of the Earth system uses multiple scales of time and space.

Earth is a dynamic system that changes in space and time under natural and anthropogenic influences. We can study the change over time in the Earth system using paleo data and more recent data from Earth observing satellites and other observational networks. Remote sensing data provide a spatially continuous, synoptic overview of the Earth. The data from different satellite sensors help to understand the various processes and interactions operating in the Earth system.

• Earth system science provides relevance and inspirational value.

Arthur C. Clarke wrote that the power of technology to change one’s intellectual viewpoint is one of its greatest contributions, not merely to knowledge, but to something even more important: understanding… It goes beyond the limits of human perceptions. Technologies to study Earth system science provide amazing images, visualizations, and virtual realities that deepen our understanding, as well as provide information for responsible stewardship of the planet.