Humankind is increasingly faced with seemingly intractable environmental problems that require a better understanding of the Earth and the processes that drive its various components. Environmental policy makers at the state and federal level are asking for carefully reviewed scientific evidence to help them make policy decisions. Our research is vital in increasing our understanding of the environment and we are able to provide significant input with respect to these issues.

The Institute for Computational Earth System Science (ICESS) provides an environment in which Earth system scientists can closely collaborate and perform computations not possible in many other research facilities. Our focus is on research and research education in Earth system science, with emphasis on processes governing the interactions of radiation and Earth.

As an Organized Research Unit our mission is to provide: a distributed, interdisciplinary computer environment for the promotion and support of research and research education in Earth system science; an interdisciplinary environment and computer-related services that enhances the excellence and competitive advantage of UCSB global change research; a center of excellence to provide visibility and aid in the attraction of top faculty and students to UCSB; and an efficiently-run business operations and administration that supports research.

ICESS has become increasingly interdisciplinary and our mission has broadened. We accomplish our mission by providing state-of-the-art computer hardware and software, technical equipment, support staff, and efficient administrative operations. The excellent quality of our computational facilities and the high-visibility nature of our research provides a competitive advantage to our PI's seeking extramural support.

Advances during the past decade in computer and satellite technology, and our ability to model complex systems, have opened unprecedented opportunities to increase understanding of the Earth as an integrated system. ICESS is on the leading edge of Earth system science research and related computer technology. We are uniquely positioned to utilize the extensive satellite capabilities planned by a variety of agencies and organizations over the next decade. Currently there are few research/instructional units in the country or indeed the world, with comparable research programs in computational Earth system science.

ICESS provides excellent opportunities for student research which we support by extramural grants. Our field of research spans the globe and provides unique research opportunities to both undergraduate and graduate students. Computer processing and visualization of data is performed on campus where we involve undergraduate students in a variety of interesting research projects which often lead to graduate studies and further involvement in Earth science research. Graduate students participate in funded research which supports their education. Our technical staff, highly skilled and required for many of our research efforts, have been selected, in part, for their ability to effectively interact with students. There is considerable opportunity for sharing of experience and expertise among the different levels of participants, where we often work as an integrated team -- from undergraduates through post-doctoral fellows and faculty. This summer we expanded our support of undergraduate research through the NASA funded "UCSB Earth System Science Undergraduate Summer Research Program." This program involved all ICESS faculty and researchers.

Since 1990 ICESS has grown in personnel, projects, proposals submitted and received, total funding, and overall productivity. The number of principal investigators has increased more than fivefold, while graduate support has more than tripled. Extramural grants have increased from $1,288,516 in 1990 to a high of $6,211,154 in 1993. Fiscal year 96/97 extramural funding totaled $5,666,533, bringing our average new funding for the last six years to $4.8M. A further measure of the unusual strength, stature, and productivity of our research unit is the fact that virtually all of our principal investigators are involved in one or more long-term research projects.

ICESS facilities consist of state-of-the-art computing resources, an optical calibration laboratory, an electronics laboratory, a satellite receiver dish, Seaspace TeraScan data acquisition and image processing system, Bausch & Lomb UV Radiometer with access to nationwide UV data, comprehensive climate radiation data, and a variety of unique field equipment.

Our facilities include a satellite receiver for the real time acquisition of satellite data. This capability, in concert with our advanced networking facilities, makes current and historical satellite imagery electronically accessible at UCSB for both research and instruction.

Computational Earth systems science is a research area born of the recent advances in computer and satellite technology and our increased ability to model complex environmental systems numerically. The intellectual and social importance of understanding the Earth from a global perspective and predicting its evolution, particularly with regard to the impact of these changes on humans, is increasingly recognized. Support for this area of research, as well as the demand for students, is continuing to increase. ICESS is recognized as an outstanding academic research unit in this area. We complement other departments and research units at UCSB and we are closely associated with the new professional School of Environmental Science & Management. Our principal investigators and graduate students are increasingly requested to participate in global research programs, are making significant scientific contributions, and continue to be highly successful in obtaining extramural grants for their research.

Our primary objective is to provide a supportive environment for research and research education where scholarship can flourish, an environment where the latest technical and intellectual advances in computer science may be used to address some of the most pressing and complex problems in the Earth sciences.

Catherine Gautier
Director,
Institute for Computational Earth System Science