Swiss researchers have transferred around 100 petabytes of publicly available NASA climate and environmental data to the Swiss National Supercomputing Centre to support artificial intelligence based climate research and long term data preservation. Led by researchers at ETH Zurich, the year long project involved copying nearly six billion files containing decades of Earth observation data on greenhouse gases, precipitation, clouds, ice sheets, and other environmental indicators. The datasets will be used to train advanced AI models capable of producing faster and more accurate weather, climate, and natural hazard forecasts. Researchers believe AI driven forecasting systems can deliver predictions significantly faster than traditional physics based models, helping improve disaster preparedness for floods, storms, and other extreme weather events. The initiative also reflects growing concerns over uncertainty surrounding future funding for climate science in the United States. Researchers plan to expand the archive by adding datasets from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, ensuring continued access to valuable climate information while supporting AI powered scientific research and environmental monitoring.
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