At the end of May 2024, the kick-off meeting of the EU Horizon Europe project AI4PEX: - Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning for Enhanced Representation of Processes and Extremes in Earth System Models, took place.
55 scientists from 19 institutions met from May 21 to 24, 2024, at the Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry in Jena, Germany, for the AI4PEX kick-off meeting.
AI4PEX is a 4-year project funded by the European Union under Horizon Europe with the aim to improve the representation of processes in land, ocean and the atmosphere underpinning the largest uncertainties in feedbacks simulated in Earth system models (ESM), thereby reducing uncertainty in climate change projections.
In a relaxed atmosphere, the new members of the project, which started in April, got to know each other, discussed common goals and challenges, and introduced themselves to the various topics of the work programme. After introductory words by the project coordinator Nuno Carvalhais (MPI-BGC), the various work packages were presented, followed by expert talks on the most important topics of the project: cloud feedbacks in the atmosphere, heat and carbon uptake in the ocean, the terrestrial carbon cycle, Earth system models, Extreme events, machine learning and artificial intelligence, and hybrid modeling. The second day was filled with discussion rounds to coordinate the cooperation, discuss synergies and create the data basis for a successful start. In addition to these scientific topics, one day was reserved for training the new members in the use of the EuroHPC supercomputer LUMI, which is used for data processing in the project, and the ESMValTool, a diagnostic and performance metrics tool for the routine evaluation of Earth system models.