"Numerical climate models are used for a variety of purposes from study of the dynamics of the climate system to projections of future climate."
The use of mathematical and computer models to simulate the Earth's climate, including predicting future climate changes.
Atmospheric and Ocean Circulation: Understanding the interactions between the atmosphere and oceans is critical to understanding how climate models work.
Greenhouse Effect: The greenhouse effect is the fundamental principle behind climate change, and understanding how it works is important to understanding climate models.
Energy Balance: Climate models need to simulate the Earth's energy balance over time, taking into account radiation from the sun, reflected solar radiation, and outgoing thermal radiation.
Model Physics: Climate models use physics-based equations to describe how the atmosphere and oceans behave, and learning about the basic physics is necessary to understand how these models work.
Feedback Mechanisms: Climate feedback mechanisms are important for understanding how climate models simulate the interaction between various systems, including clouds, ice sheets, and vegetation.
Earth System Models: Earth System Models take into account additional biological and geological factors, including carbon cycles and volcanism, to simulate how climate works.
Aerosols and Aerosol-Cloud Interactions: Aerosols can have a significant impact on the Earth's climate and are an important factor for climate models to consider.
Probability and Uncertainty: Climate models have inherent uncertainties, and understanding the statistical probability of various climate events is important for interpreting model results.
Climate Change Scenarios: Climate models can simulate different scenarios for future climate change, depending on factors such as greenhouse gas emissions and land use.
Data Analysis: Analyzing and interpreting climate model output is key to understanding the results of these complex simulations.
Model Validation: Validating climate models is an essential step in improving their accuracy and reliability, and includes comparing model output to observed climate data.
Climate Policy: Understanding climate models is important for informing climate policy decisions, and learning about the potential impacts of different climate policies is an important component of this field.
General Circulation Models (GCMs): These models are designed for large scale atmospheric modeling and simulate the Earth's climate system by dividing it into three-dimensional grids. GCMs use complex equations to simulate the physical processes of the atmosphere, including radiation, convection, and advection.
Regional Climate Models (RCMs): These models are similar to GCMs but operate at a much smaller scale, often a few hundred kilometers. RCMs are designed to simulate the climate of a specific region or area and can produce more accurate results for the local climate.
Statistical Models: These models use statistical techniques to analyze historical and current climate data to make predictions about future climate trends. Statistical models are most often used to study climate change and its impacts on the environment.
Carbon Cycle Models: These models are designed to simulate the carbon cycle and its impact on the climate system. Carbon cycle models are used to make predictions about future changes in carbon dioxide concentrations and how they will affect global climate.
Biogeochemical Models: These models simulate the interactions between the atmosphere, hydrosphere, biosphere, and lithosphere. Biogeochemical models are used to understand how natural and human-induced changes to these systems affect the climate.
Ocean Models: These models are used to simulate the dynamic processes of the ocean, including its currents, tides, and interactions with the atmosphere. Ocean models are often used to study the impact of climate change on marine ecosystems and sea level rise.
Land Surface Models: These models simulate the exchange of energy and water between the land surface and the atmosphere. Land surface models are used to study the impact of land use change, deforestation, and other human activities on the climate.
Earth System Models (ESMs): These models integrate the physical, chemical, and biological components of the Earth's climate system. ESMs are designed to simulate the complex interactions between the planet's atmosphere, oceans, land surfaces, and living organisms.
"Numerical climate models simulate the interactions of the important drivers of climate, including atmosphere, oceans, land surface and ice."
"Climate models may also be qualitative (i.e. not numerical) models and also narratives, largely descriptive, of possible futures."
"Quantitative climate models take account of incoming energy from the sun as short wave electromagnetic radiation, chiefly visible and short-wave (near) infrared, as well as outgoing long wave (far) infrared electromagnetic."
"An imbalance results in a change in temperature."
"A simple radiant heat transfer model treats the Earth as a single point and averages outgoing energy."
"This can be expanded vertically (radiative-convective models) and/or horizontally."
"Coupled atmosphere-ocean-sea ice global climate models solve the full equations for mass and energy transfer and radiant exchange."
"In addition, other types of modeling can be interlinked, such as land use, in Earth System Models."
"This allows researchers to predict the interaction between climate and ecosystems."
"Quantitative climate models use quantitative methods to simulate climate interactions while qualitative models are largely descriptive narratives of possible futures."
"Numerical climate models simulate the interactions of the important drivers of climate, including atmosphere, oceans, land surface, and ice."
"Quantitative climate models take account of incoming energy from the sun as short wave electromagnetic radiation, chiefly visible and short-wave (near) infrared, as well as outgoing long wave (far) infrared electromagnetic."
"Numerical climate models are used for a variety of purposes from study of the dynamics of the climate system to projections of future climate."
"An imbalance results in a change in temperature."
"A simple radiant heat transfer model treats the Earth as a single point and averages outgoing energy."
"This can be expanded vertically (radiative-convective models) and/or horizontally."
"Coupled atmosphere-ocean-sea ice global climate models solve the full equations for mass and energy transfer and radiant exchange."
"In addition, other types of modeling can be interlinked, such as land use, in Earth System Models."
"This allows researchers to predict the interaction between climate and ecosystems."