Climate Modeling: Predicting Our Future
Understanding how scientists use computers to simulate Earth's climate and project future changes
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Section 1 of 5What is Climate Modeling?
Climate models are sophisticated computer programs that simulate Earth's climate system using fundamental physics, chemistry, and biology. They divide the planet into a three-dimensional grid and calculate how energy, water, and materials flow through the atmosphere, oceans, land, and ice at each point.
These models solve complex equations representing physical laws - conservation of energy, momentum, and mass. By running simulations forward in time under different scenarios, scientists can project how climate will change in response to greenhouse gas emissions, volcanic eruptions, solar variations, and other factors.
Why Models Matter
We can't run experiments on the real Earth. Climate models are our only tool for testing "what if" scenarios and understanding how different emission pathways will affect our future climate.
Interactive: Climate Model Components
Click each component to learn how climate models represent different parts of Earth's system:
🔗Component Interactions
These components constantly exchange energy, water, and carbon. Models calculate how changes in one component affect all others through physics-based equations.