Looking to develop a better planet-wide model of the Earth with which to study the potential effects and responses to climate change, the European Space Authority has launched a new project called Digital Twin Earth, according to Scientific American. Pulling on data from both space-based and Earth-bound sensors and calling on the support of both public and private partnerships, the model is intended to simulate both the effects of natural processes and human-driven change on the environment.
By partnering with various researchers, the model is looking to unify simulations of various smaller segments of the planet, including considerations like the Antarctic ice sheet system, the hydrology of the Por River Basin in northern Italy, or droughts in Africa.
It is hoped by unifying and enhancing these various models that improvements will be made to the understanding of the mechanisms that drive climate change, the severity and nature of its effects, and what actions could be taken to reduce the impacts
Source:
