International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme
Encyclopedia
The International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme (IGBP) is a research programme that studies the phenomenon of global change
Global change
Global change refers to planetary-scale changes in the Earth system. The system consists of the land, oceans, atmosphere, poles, life, the planet’s natural cycles and deep Earth processes. These constituent parts influence one another...

.

The International Council of Scientific Unions
International Council for Science
The International Council for Science , formerly the International Council of Scientific Unions, was founded in 1931 as an international non-governmental organization devoted to international co-operation in the advancement of science...

, a coordinating body of national science organizations, launched IGBP in 1986. It looks at the total Earth system, the changes that are occurring, and the manner in which changes are influenced by human actions.

IGBP aims to describe and understand how the physical, chemical and biological processes regulate the Earth system. It also seeks to increase knowledge of how humans are influencing the global processes, such as the carbon cycle
Carbon cycle
The carbon cycle is the biogeochemical cycle by which carbon is exchanged among the biosphere, pedosphere, geosphere, hydrosphere, and atmosphere of the Earth...

, nitrogen cycle
Nitrogen cycle
The nitrogen cycle is the process by which nitrogen is converted between its various chemical forms. This transformation can be carried out by both biological and non-biological processes. Important processes in the nitrogen cycle include fixation, mineralization, nitrification, and denitrification...

, sulfur cycle
Sulfur cycle
The sulfur cycle are the collection of processes by which sulfur moves to and from minerals and living systems. Such biogeochemical cycles are important in geology because they affect many minerals...

, water cycle
Water cycle
The water cycle, also known as the hydrologic cycle or H2O cycle, describes the continuous movement of water on, above and below the surface of the Earth. Water can change states among liquid, vapor, and solid at various places in the water cycle...

 and phosphorus cycle
Phosphorus cycle
The phosphorus cycle is the biogeochemical cycle that describes the movement of phosphorus through the lithosphere, hydrosphere, and biosphere. Unlike many other biogeochemical cycles, the atmosphere does not play a significant role in the movement of phosphorus, because phosphorus and...

. "It delivers scientific knowledge to help human societies develop in harmony with Earth's environment."

IGBP research is organised around six projects representing the Earth system - land, atmosphere
Atmosphere
An atmosphere is a layer of gases that may surround a material body of sufficient mass, and that is held in place by the gravity of the body. An atmosphere may be retained for a longer duration, if the gravity is high and the atmosphere's temperature is low...

, ocean
Ocean
An ocean is a major body of saline water, and a principal component of the hydrosphere. Approximately 71% of the Earth's surface is covered by ocean, a continuous body of water that is customarily divided into several principal oceans and smaller seas.More than half of this area is over 3,000...

 and where they meet (land-atmosphere, land-ocean. atmosphere-ocean) and two further projects looking at the Earth system as a whole: Past Global Changes (PAGES) which looks at palaeoclimate, and the Analyis, Integration and Modelling of the Earth System (AIMES), which helps set the agenda for Earth system models. Plus four joint projects - carbon, water, human health and food security - with the other three international global change programmes.

In 2004, IGBP published a landmark synthesis, Global Change and the Earth System (Steffen et al). The synthesis stated that humanity was now the main driver of change at the planetary scale and that Earth is now operating in a “no analogue” state. Measurements of Earth system processes, past and present, have led to the conclusion that the planet has moved well outside the range of natural variability in the last half million years at least.

IGBP projects

  • Analysis, Integration and Modeling of the Earth System (AIMES
    AIMES
    AIMES is the Earth System synthesis and integration project of the International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme .- Activities :* Coupled Carbon Cycle Climate Model Intercomparison Project...

    )
  • Global Ocean Ecosystem Dynamics (GLOBEC)
    Global Ocean Ecosystem Dynamics (GLOBEC)
    Global Ocean Ecosystem Dynamics is the International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme core project responsible for understanding how global change will affect the abundance, diversity and productivity of marine populations...

  • Global Land Project
    Global Land Project
    The Global Land Project is a research initiative of the International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme and the International Human Dimensions Programme . It aims to understand the changes of the land systems given the prospects of rapid and massive global environmental change...

     (GLP)
  • International Global Atmospheric Chemistry
    International Global Atmospheric Chemistry
    The International Global Atmospheric Chemistry Project, under joint sponsorship of the Commission on Atmospheric Chemistry and Global Pollution of the International Association of Meteorology and Atmospheric Sciences and the International Geosphere- Biosphere Programme , was created in the late...

     (IGAC)
  • Integrated Land Ecosystem–Atmosphere Processes Study (iLEAPS)
  • Integrated Marine Biogeochemistry and Ecosystem Research (IMBER)
  • Land-Ocean Interaction in the Coastal Zone (LOICZ
    LOICZ
    Land Ocean Interactions in the Coastal Zone is a core project of the International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme and the International Human Dimensions Programme on Global Environmental Change ....

    )
  • Past Global Changes (PAGES)
  • Surface Ocean Lower Atmosphere Study (SOLAS)

IGBP joint projects

  • Global Carbon Project
    Global Carbon Project
    The Global Carbon Project was established in 2001. The organisation seeks to quantify global carbon emissions and their causes.The main object of the group has been to fully understand the carbon cycle...

  • Global Environmental Change and Human Health (GECHH)
  • Global Environmental Change and Food Systems (GECAFS)
  • Global Water System Project (GWSP)

International partners

  • Earth System Science Partnership
    Earth System Science Partnership
    The Earth System Science Partnership is a partnership under the auspices of the International Council for Science for the integrated study of the Earth System, the ways that it is changing, and the implications for global and regional sustainability...

  • World Climate Research Programme
    World Climate Research Programme
    The World Climate Research Programme was established in 1980, under the joint sponsorship of International Council for Science and the World Meteorological Organization, and has also been sponsored by the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO since 1993. It is a component of the...

  • DIVERSITAS
  • International Human Dimensions Programme
    International Human Dimensions Programme
    The International Human Dimensions Programme on Global Environmental Change is a research programme that studies the human and societal aspects of the phenomenon of global change....

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