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Coupled Climate and Earth System Models

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Book cover Climate Change Modeling Methodology

Abstract

We are all familiar with weather forecasts that predict the local weather for the next few days. These are made using a high-resolution numerical model of the atmosphere, and sometimes extend out as far as 10 days.

This chapter was originally published as part of the Encyclopedia of Sustainability Science and Technology edited by Robert A. Meyers. DOI:10.1007/978-1-4419-0851-3

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Abbreviations

Climate model:

A numerical model consisting of four components: atmosphere, ocean, land, and sea ice.

Earth system model:

A climate model with additional components, which must include a carbon cycle in the land, atmosphere, and ocean components.

Troposphere:

The lower part of the atmosphere where most of the weather occurs.

Stratosphere:

The region of the atmosphere above the troposphere, and is the location of the ozone layer.

Carbon cycle:

The processes by which carbon in all its forms interacts and moves around in the land, atmosphere, and ocean components of the climate system.

Positive feedback:

A set of processes whereby a small perturbation in the climate system amplifies and increases in size.

Negative feedback:

A set of processes whereby a small perturbation in the climate system decays and reduces in size.

Control simulation:

A run of a climate model or earth system model where the forcing is kept constant in time.

Ensemble simulations:

A set of runs which have the identical forcing, but start from slightly different initial conditions.

Chaotic system:

A system of equations with the property that two runs starting from slightly different initial conditions diverge from each other, often quite quickly.

Climate projection:

A simulation of the climate system into the future with prescribed forcing, where the model has not been initialized to the observed climate.

Climate forecast:

A simulation of the climate system into the future with prescribed forcing, where the model has been initialized to the observed climate.

Equilibrium climate sensitivity:

The increase in the globally averaged surface temperature in a model when the atmosphere concentration of carbon dioxide is doubled.

Atmosphere Model Intercomparison Project:

A standard simulation of the atmosphere component of a climate or earth system model, which allows different models to be compared to each other.

El Nino-Southern Oscillation:

The largest interannual signal in the climate system, which occurs primarily in the tropical region of the Pacific Ocean.

Thermohaline circulation:

The overturning circulation in the global oceans where water sinks at very high latitudes, spreads very slowly horizontally to all the ocean basins, and then slowly returns toward the surface.

Conveyor belt:

Another popular name for the thermohaline circulation.

Deep water formation:

The process by which very dense water near the surface sinks to near the ocean bottom at high latitudes, which forms the sinking part of the thermohaline circulation.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Oceanography Section, National Center for Atmospheric Research, 3000, Boulder, CO, 80307-3000, USA

    Peter R. Gent

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Correspondence to Peter R. Gent .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, 99352, Washington, USA

    Philip J. Rasch

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Gent, P.R. (2012). Coupled Climate and Earth System Models. In: Rasch, P. (eds) Climate Change Modeling Methodology. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-5767-1_2

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