A National Strategy for Advancing Climate Modeling (2012) / Chapter Skim
Currently Skimming:
8 Relationship of U.S. Climate Modeling to Other International and National Efforts
8 Relationship of U.S. Climate Modeling to Other International and National Efforts
Pages 153-162
The Chapter Skim interface presents what we've algorithmically identified as the most significant single chunk of text within every page in the chapter.
Select key terms on the right to highlight them within pages of the chapter.
From page 153... ...
Computational resources associated with these international centers have likewise grown, including facilities such as the Earth System Simulator in Japan.1 INTERNATIONAL COORDINATION, ESPECIALLY AS IT RELATES TO THE INTERGOVERNMENTAL PANEL ON CLIMATE CHANGE Systematic comparison of simulations using these models has proved highly beneficial. Since the 1990s the leading climate modeling efforts around the world have exchanged information and coordinated their efforts under the umbrella of the World Climate Research Programme (WCRP)
|
From page 154... ...
This early AMIP effort then spawned a number of model intercomparison projects, including an Ocean Model Intercomparison Project, the Paleoclimate Model Intercomparison Project, and the widely known CMIP. In addition to the output of such coordinated experiments, the various working groups serve as important mechanisms for exchange of information and ideas among modeling scientists around the world.
|
From page 155... ...
Finding 8.1: U.S. climate modelers are extensively involved in internationally coordinated activities, including the Coupled Modeling Intercomparison Project, the IPCC, and a suite of observational and modeling programs that are designed to advance climate models by improving processes-based understanding of important aspects of the climate system, such as clouds and their feedback on the climate system.
|
From page 156... ...
Intercomparisons have also been based around observation networks such as the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement sites, the AERONET aerosol monitoring network (AEROsol robotic NETwork) , or the AMERIFLUX array of CO2 monitoring sites, or using new satellite data sets (e.g., the CFMIP Observation Simulator Package, within the Cloud Feedback Model Intercomparison Project [CFMIP]
|
From page 157... ...
Finding 8.4: International model intercomparison projects have proven to be effective mechanisms for advancing climate models because they leverage the effort involved in setting up both the observations and the modeling protocols used for testing, and they allow modelers to see weaknesses of their simulations in focused settings. CURRENT CMIP/IPCC EFFORTS In support of the Fifth Assessment Report of the IPCC, the CMIP has established an extensive suite of common modeling experiments that many centers around the world are executing.
|
From page 158... ...
The model output from this archive is used to investigate a host of issues. These range from detailed analyses of the physical processes that operate in models in order to assess their credibility, to using this model output to assess the impact of projected climate change for various regions to estimate climate vulnerability and adaptation.7 Finding 8.5: CMIP outputs, including model outputs from models outside the United States, are a valuable resource for a wide range of activities, including estimating climate change impacts and adaptation planning.
|
From page 159... ...
Thus, participation of modeling centers around the world in the CMIP suites of experiments contribute both to better estimates of future climate change and to model development and improvement. Such international coordination and exchange of information provide a vital exchange of ideas and techniques that improve climate modeling in the United States and around the world.
|
From page 160... ...
Bringing closure to the model development process on any timeline is a difficult task, especially because modeling centers want to have the best possible physics and numerics in their models. These typically involve recently developed physical parameterizations based on new observational and theoretical research, and their behavior in complex models can be difficult to predict.
|
From page 161... ...
A robust international climate modeling community has evolved, including state-of-theart efforts in Europe in regional and global modeling, as well as growing efforts in Asia supported by large new investments in computing. This has led to Earth system models that simulate the current climate more accurately and comprehensively than in the past, and the application of these and finer-scale, more specialized regional models to many societal and scientific problems, although model-related uncertainties in future climate projections remain substantial.
|
From page 162... ...
scientists and institutions in international activities, such as model intercomparisons, including support for systems to archive model output, because such activities have proven effective in robustly addressing user needs for climate information and for advancing U.S. climate models.
|
Key Terms
This material may be derived from roughly machine-read images, and so is provided only to facilitate research.
More
information on Chapter Skim is available.