Over the next five years, nine research centres of the Helmholtz Association will collaborate to create a flexible, mobile measuring system for Earth observation: MOSES – Modular Observation Solutions for Earth Systems (moses.eskp.de). The highly flexible system will be used to investigate how short-term dynamic events such as heatwaves and heavy rainfall are linked to the long-term development of Earth and environmental systems. Hence, the mobile infrastructure also represents an important addition to existing national and international monitoring networks and satellite missions, which are mostly designed for long-term, large-scale Earth system observation.

The new infrastructure will be designed as a ‘system of systems’. The participating centres will develop, miniaturise and automate sensor and measuring systems, which will then be combined to form specific modules. These will record energy, water, greenhouse gas and nutrient cycles on the land surface, in coastal regions, in the ocean, in snow and ice regions, and in the atmosphere – but especially the interactions between Earth compartments.

The data and results supplied by MOSES will be made available to researchers of all participating centres assuring an integrative data processing and interpretation. Therefore, MOSES data will contribute to reduce uncertainty in predictions of climate and environmental change and contribute to the development of societal adaptation strategies.

The Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research – UFZ is the coordinating centre.