With all the questions about climate change and variability being asked each day the applications of climate modeling is virtually endless. Of primary concern at this time is the identification of the causes of climate change and how much is anthropogenic and how changes in our habits may contribute to the climate. The most common studies are examining the climate for an atmosphere with a doubled CO 2 concentration. This is to simulate the atmosphere in the future without a conscience effort to reduce CO 2 emissions and there have even been a few studies that have used a quadrupled CO 2 concentration.
Agriculture is another arena that is greatly enhanced by the use and application of climate models.
Even though no climate model has the exact answers to what the climate will be ten years from now or one hundred years from now the model output gives us some possibilities. Having possible outcomes of climate change and variability allows research to be more focused. Research can be conducted to develop other crop varieties and practices that are more favorable for the possible climate scenarios. Regions can begin to diversify their economic bases so blows to the agricultural sector do not topple an entire town financially. One thing is for certain - the climate is going to change and models can give us some clues about how it is going to change.