DEES scientists conduct a wide range of studies in earth sciences bringing together expertise in geology, geomorphology, geochronology, and pedology. Scientists use soil science, geology and geomorphology to help the military better identify realistic training locations. In addition, scientists research basic processes underlying creation of arid landscapes and how these landscapes may evolve in response to environmental change and land use practices. Finally, DEES scientist are attempting to relate long-term geologic processes such as isostatic rebound with presence of areas that may be used for geothermal energy exploration. Earth scientists within DRI make use of advanced techniques including ground penetrating radar (GPR), light detection and ranging (LiDAR) in combination with geographic information systems (GIS) and advanced 3-D visualization. In addition, DEES scientists have developed novel dating methods using luminescence that is being applied in a wide range of geological and archaeological studies.

DEES research projects related to "Earth Sciences" are listed below.

• Global Military Operating Environments: Linking Natural Environments, International Security, and Military Operations (GMOE) (McDonald)
• GMOE II: Linking Natural Environments, International Security, and military Operations with a focus on Afghanistan and SW Asia (McDonald)
• Integrated Desert Terrain Forecasting for Military Operations (McDonald)
• Reconstructing Landscape History and Paleoenvironments at Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake (Adams)
• Exploring Planetary Surfaces: Earth, Moon and Mars (Lancaster)
• Ash Meadows Paleoecology Project (Lancaster)
• Origins, Long Term Dynamics, and Dust Emissions from the Keeler Dunes, California (Lancaster)
• Developing a single-grain luminescence chronology for 'very recent' deposition of wind-blown sand around Owen's Lake, California  (Lancaster, Berger)
• Dynamics of the Black Rock Playa: Relationships between Use, Physical Processes, and Biological Environments (Adams)
• How wet is wet? Quantifying past climate changes in the western Great Basin (Adams)
• Launching the Great Basin Paleoenvironmental Database (Adams)
• Exploring the potential of single-grain-quartz luminescence for dating ice-shelf collapse and retreat in coastal Antarctica (Berger)
• Exploring the potential of single-grain-quartz luminescence for dating of debris-flow fans in Nevada and Central Colombia (Berger)
• Constructing a Dating Tool for the last 100kyr of Arctic Ocean Sediments: Extended Photonic Dating Tests and Applications using HOTRAX05 Cores (Berger)
• Luminescence Sediment Dating of Pleistocene Hominin and Tool Sites at Atapuerca, Spain (Berger)
• Modeling Complex Geochemical Processes in the Outer Planets Region (Marion)
• FREZCHEM: An Aqueous Geochemical Model for Mars (Marion)
• Martian Geochemical Applications with FREZCHEM (Marion)
• Isostatic Rebound Related to Geothermal Exploration (Adams)