The 202nd Forum of Frontiers of Science and Technology, themed "Mathematical and Physical Modeling of Earth System Processes," took place in Zhuhai from Oct. 13 to 14, 2025. Hosted by the Academic Divisions of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CASAD), the forum was led by four executive chairs, including Profs. CHENG Qiuming (CAS member), WANG Jian (member of the Chinese Academy of Engineering), SHEN Shuzhong (CAS member), and ZHENG Zhiming (CAS member).

The event brought together leading scientists in Earth sciences, with 11 CAS members—including Profs. ZHANG Peizhen, XIA Jun, CHEN Xiaofei, SHEN Shuzhong, CHEN Fahu, ZHENG Zhiming, HOU Zengqian, DAI Yongjiu, CHENG Qiuming, HU Ruizhong, and HUANG Jianping—alongside international participants from Europe and South Africa including Profs. Alik Ismail-Zadeh, Timothy M. Kusky, and Emmanuel John M. Carranza. In total, over 60 experts and scholars from domestic and foreign research institutions and universities engaged in in-depth exchanges focused on new paradigms for Earth system science research.

During the forum, seven experts—Profs. Alik Ismail-Zadeh, Timothy M. Kusky, CHEN Xiaofei, DAI Yongjiu, HUANG Jianping, Shaun Lovejoy, and CHENG Qiuming—delivered plenary reports, while four other scholars, including Profs. LI Zhonghai, LENG Wei, SHI Zhenwei, and DU Shihong, gave special reports.

The reports covered a range of cutting-edge areas, such as the application of computational geodynamics in understanding geological hazard mitigation and resource development, the role of machine learning/big data in addressing long-tail data challenges in early Earth tectonics and habitability studies, seismic hazard risk assessment and prediction via digital modeling and physical process simulation, updates on the Community Land Model 2024 (CLM2024), Earth system prediction models integrating artificial intelligence (AI) with dynamic models, climate simulation and prediction based on the half-order energy balance equation, deep-time digital Earth and coordinated Earth system evolution, reflections on computational Earth system dynamics, supercontinent cycles and mantle plume activity, aerospace remote sensing large models and their applications, and long-time-series remote sensing mapping of national urban functions.

A roundtable discussion was also held, focusing on four key themes to foster in-depth dialogue: "AI Empowering Major Scientific Programs for Earth System Science Innovation," "Digital Connection and Dynamic Modeling of Complex Earth Systems," "Knowledge Graphs and Large Models for Earth System Processes," and "Intelligent Prediction of Earth System Processes and Extreme Events."

The forum was co-undertaken by the CASAD Academic Works and Publication Committee, the CAS Division of Earth Sciences, and the CAS Division of Information Technical Sciences, with support from the Sun Yat-sen University.