Knowra Climate modeling Climate modeling Climate modeling uses numerical simulations of the atmosphere, ocean, land, and ice to study climate. Models represent physical laws alongside approximations for processes too small or complex to resolve directly.
General circulation model : A numerical model that simulates large-scale circulation in the atmosphere or ocean using fluid dynamics and thermodynamics. Coupled circulation models form the main framework for many climate simulations.
Earth's energy budget : The balance between energy Earth receives from the Sun and energy it reflects or emits to space. A sustained imbalance drives the warming or cooling that models simulate.
Climate projection : A conditional estimate of future climate based on specified assumptions about emissions, forcing, and other influences. Climate models generate projections for alternative future emissions pathways.
Earth system model : A climate model that represents interactions among the atmosphere, ocean, land, and cryosphere, often including biogeochemical cycles. Earth system models extend climate simulations with interacting carbon and other biogeochemical cycles.
Climate sensitivity : The change in global mean surface temperature associated with a specified change in Earth’s radiative forcing. Model estimates still differ, especially because clouds and other feedbacks remain uncertain.
Primitive equations : The fluid-dynamics equations describing motion, mass continuity, and thermodynamics in geophysical flows. They supply the governing dynamics for atmospheric and oceanic circulation.
Greenhouse effect : The warming of a planet’s surface and lower atmosphere because gases absorb and re-emit outgoing infrared radiation. Models calculate how changing greenhouse-gas concentrations alter outgoing energy.
Climate change attribution : The assessment of how human and natural influences contributed to observed climate changes. Model experiments compare observed changes with simulations including different possible causes.
Energy balance model : A simplified climate model that tracks incoming and outgoing energy, often with limited spatial detail. It captures basic warming responses with fewer processes and lower computational cost.
Cloud feedback : The change in Earth’s energy balance caused by climate-driven changes in cloud properties and distribution. Cloud feedback is a major source of spread among model estimates of warming.
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