Earth System Science talks will return in September 2021
Contact Address:
The Earth System Science Program
Earth & Planetary Sciences
[Unit Detail]
Frank Dawson Adams Building[Map],
3450 University Street,
Montreal, QC, Canada, H3A 0E8.
Tel: (514)-398-6767 | Fax: 514.398.4680
About half of our graduates so far have gone into graduate school, in a variety of disciplines: Earth System Science, Geography, Atmospheric Sciences, Geology, and Environmental Science.
Outside of academics, ESS graduates work for government or for non-governmental organizations (NGO). These organizations serve the public in environmental assessment, weather and climate change prediction, evaluation of natural hazards, remote sensing and resource extraction.
The Resource Industry has become a frequent employer of ESS graduates. As metals and fuels become more difficult to extract, exploration is moving into new environments.
For example, companies are developing the technology to mine on the open ocean bottom. This presents unique engineering challenges, as well as unknown environmental impacts. Earth System Scientists work with the Geologists, Miners, Engineers, and marine experts to understand and mitigate the economic and environmental risks.
Wired Magazine article on Nautilus Mining off shore Papa New Guinea
Environmental Consultants are involved in the preparation for new development (completing environmental impact statements, local and regional planning & policy) and also involved in cleaning up (remediation) the results of old development. This is a growing field in Canada, and does not experience the peaks and troughs of the development cycle.
Data Integration companies try to combine data from a variety of sources and fields in order to create value for their customers. Farmers, for example, would like information on climate norms, short and long term weather forecasts, current soil moisture, soil nutrients, current and projected global supply and demand for their crop, market prices, and fuel and other costs. Organizing this data in a form that's most useful and understanding the value of the data requires Earth System Scientist to work with the Information specialists and Application Designers.
One such firm: The Climate Corporation
Recently advertised positions available at the Climate Corporation:
Atmospheric scientist | San Francisco or Seattle, United States |
Scientific Software Engineer | San Francisco, CA, United States |
Statistician: Climatology | San Francisco, CA, United States |
The insurance company that sells you flood insurance, or sells a farmer crop insurance isn't big enough to survive a major storm, drought, or other large event. Hence those insurance policies are sold to Re-insurers (Lloyds, Berkshire-Hathaway, Swiss-Re, etc.) who re-package the policies and sell them as investments. This spreads the risk around. In order to price the investments properly (so that both the Re- and the investor make money) they need to understand the science that's changing the risk: will climate change alter the number of hurricanes? the frequency of droughts in the Prairies? reduced snowmelt used for irrigation? As a result, the Re‑insurance industry has large scientific research divisions employing Earth System Scientists. The results of the evaluation of future change then get passed to the actuaries (applied mathematicians), who define the risk/cost/reward tables.
Product life cycle management involves understanding the resources used and environmental impact of a product from creation to disposal. That is, what is the source of the materials that are used to construct a product; the energy and resources needed to build it and get it to market; what is consumed when the product is used; and what happens to the product when it is disposed of. Companies like to understand the whole process, not only to save costs, and protect them selves from liability, but also so that they can use the minimized environmental impact in advertising. An Earth System Scientist assists in understanding and optimizing processes involving solid, fluid, and biological Earth systems. Their insight is then passed on to the designers, engineers, and marketers of the product. Most large manufacturing companies hire scientists with ESS skills.
Gigaom's article on Apple Computer's 2014 Supplier Responsibility Report
We're pushing hard on the other minerals - tin, tungsten and gold - to make sure that we have a critical mass of smelters so we can really change the situation on the ground in the Democratic Republic of Congo,
said Apple's senior vice president of operations Jeff Williams, as reported in the Wall Street Journal.
Open Positions in Science & Engineering at The Climate Corporation
Academic jobs in Earth System Science and Biogeochemistry
Careers in Geoscience from the American Geological Institute