Potentially, the balloon data could extend the record back to the late 1950s. Also, a new version of the temperature sensors used by the satellites will improve the detail of the measurements taken. The first AMSU sensor was launched into space in May of 1998 aboard the NOAA-15 satellite, and data from that sensor are already being incorporated into the daily temperature updates produced by Spencer. For more information, visit the AMSU-A web site at the Global Hydrology and Climate Center. The improved temperature record will guide efforts to refine computer models of the world's climate so that the behavior of the models more closely resembles the observed behavior of the atmosphere.
Current models suffer from several shortcomings.
For example, clouds are not well represented by the models. The resolution of current models is too coarse for features as small as clouds, Spencer said. The ability of plants to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and the role of soils have only recently been added to the models, and scientists aren't confident yet of how the models portray these factors, Spencer said. Climate models are also limited by the computing power available. Instead, a lot of approximations are made to make the models simple enough to do climate simulations over the whole globe.