Abstract
Climate model output has progressively increased in size over the past decades and is expected to continue to rise in the future. Consequently, the research time expended by Early Career Researchers (ECRs) on data‐intensive activities is displacing the time spent in fostering novel scientific ideas and expanding the frontiers of climate sciences. Here, we highlight an urgent need for a better balance between data‐intensive and foundational climate science activities, more open‐ended research opportunities that reinforce the scientific freedom of the ECRs, and strong coordinated action to provide infrastructure and resources to the ECRs working in under‐resourced environments.
Plain Language Summary
Climate science research can be described by three key foundational activities: developing scientific theories and hypotheses, testing hypotheses using data and theory to generate scientific outcomes, and finally communication of scientific outcomes to inform climate actions, that is, adaptation and mitigation. The progress of our field is influenced by a balance between these activities. We, a group of early career researchers (ECRs), are concerned that the climate community is putting an excessive emphasis on data‐intensive activities and the disproportionate investment of time and resources in these activities is leading to a displacement of more foundational scientific activities of our discipline. This not only impedes the scientific progress of our field but also hinders the development of the current generation of climate researchers as they struggle to strike a balance between data‐intensive activities and foundational science. For the ECRs, this problem is further deepened by short‐term employment contracts, constrained scientific freedom, and resource disparities. This makes our discipline less and less appealing and there is a risk of losing the present generation of climate researchers to data science.
Key Points
Need for increased investment of time and resources in foundational scientific activities in climate science
Need for initiatives that reinforce the curiosity and scientific freedom of the early career climate researchers
Urgent need for a coordinated action to provide resources to the early career researchers working in under‐resourced environments