QUEST
Programme background
The Quantifying and Understanding the Earth System programme (QUEST) programme is assimilating scientists' knowledge of the Earth as an integrated system. It aims to substantially improve predictions of global environmental change.
The programme has three main themes.
- The contemporary carbon cycle and its interactions with climate and atmospheric chemistry.
- The natural regulation of atmospheric composition on glacial-interglacial and longer time scales.
- The implications of global environmental changes for the sustainable use of resources.
QUEST will accelerate development of the next generation of environmental-change models, and will provide a focal point for UK work, forging collaborations and synergies between worldwide experts in Earth System research and modelling.
The programme will provide a structural framework for addressing any of NERC's priority topics that demand an Earth-system approach.
Partnerships are crucial in shaping and executing QUEST science, and the programme will involve other research councils, government departments and agencies, and other stakeholders at every opportunity.
QUEST core team
QUEST is directed by Prof Colin Prentice, who reports directly to the NERC's chief executive. Colin is supported by a core team working on integrating activities, such as Earth system modelling and building links within and beyond the QUEST programme.