Space technology

Earth gets a digital twin

The EU aims to create a digital twin of the entire planet to improve climate predictions. DTU will be responsible for modelling the ice sheets in Greenland and Antarctica.

Satellites monitor Greenland's ice caps and that data can be used to create a digital copy of Earth's climate. Photo: Colourbox

Tuesday 14 January 2025

Sole Bugge Møller

Can the Earth’s climate be digitized? The EU believes so, with an ambitious goal of having a digital twin of the Earth ready by 2030. A digital twin means creating a digital copy of the Earth that can be used as a simulation tool.

The EU project is called Destination Earth and aims to monitor, simulate, and predict the climate and how climate change will unfold. It will be used, among other things, to assess how political measures will impact the climate. The model will be powered by artificial intelligence and supercomputers, while satellites power the climate measurements. No one has ever attempted to create a digital copy of the entire planet, so the challenge is broken down into smaller parts, with DTU modelling the large ice masses in Greenland and Antarctica.

12 years of expertise

Since 2012, DTU Space has been monitoring Greenland’s ice sheets for the European Space Agency, ESA, providing new insights into how climate changes affect Greenland. This enormous amount of data will form the foundation for the digital twin of Greenland.

“We want to understand how Greenland’s ice sheet contributes to sea level rise both now and in the future,” says senior researcher Sebastian Bjerregaard Simonsen from DTU Space, who will lead the digital twin of the ice sheet.

“And because we have very long time series of measurements and understand the physics behind them, we can make much more accurate ‘what if’ calculations,” he says.

Margrethe Vestager, at that time Executive Vice President of the European Commission, rings the bell at the data center of the super computer LUMI to mark the launch of the Destination Earth project in June 2024. Photo: EU

Can be used for climate policy

The digital Mother Earth will be far more accurate than previous climate models on which our climate predictions are based. The thinking is that by analyzing the past through historical data and monitoring the present with satellites, we can predict the future. Since the digital twin is dynamic and constantly receives new data from satellite observations, it can be used by a wide range of relevant authorities, decision-makers, researchers, and companies across the EU to quickly and accurately make calculations. For example, the Danish Coastal Authority could use the model to calculate how melting ice from Greenland will affect sea level rise in Esbjerg or Kerteminde. For politicians across the EU, it will be a valuable tool to see the impact of a political measure.

“It enables us to understand all parts of the climate. Climate change is a global problem, so if a certain policy is implemented, it may have many side effects that can be difficult to overview, but we can achieve that with the digital twin. This way, we can predict and avoid unfortunate consequences,” says Sebastian Bjerregaard Simonsen.

Topic

Space technology

Space technology is an area of increased interest from both government and industry and it’s an international position of strength for DTU. Space research not only gives us a better understanding of the universe but also of our own planet.

DTU conducts research in a wide range of areas within space technology, such as space exploration, climate monitoring and security. DTU has also developed instruments and equipment for a wide range of space missions.

Contact

Sebastian Bjerregaard Simonsen Senior Researcher National Space Institute Phone: +45 45259774 ssim@dtu.dk