page_title: Climate model
hierarchical_section_title: Climate model
caption_attribution_description: English: Climate models are systems of differential equations based on the basic laws of physics, fluid motion, and chemistry. To “run” a model, scientists divide the planet into a 3-dimensional grid, apply the basic equations, and evaluate the results. Atmospheric models calculate winds, heat transfer, radiation, relative humidity, and surface hydrology within each grid and evaluate interactions with neighboring points.
context_page_description: Numerical climate models use quantitative methods to simulate the interactions of the important drivers of climate, including atmosphere, oceans, land surface and ice. They are used for a variety of purposes from study of the dynamics of the climate system to projections of future climate. Climate models may also be qualitative models and also narratives, largely descriptive, of possible futures.
  Quantitative climate models take account of incoming energy from the sun as short wave electromagnetic radiation, chiefly visible and short-wave infrared, as well as outgoing long wave infrared electromagnetic. Any imbalance results in a change in temperature.
  Quantitative models vary in complexity:
  A simple radiant heat transfer model treats the earth as a single point and averages outgoing energy
  This can be expanded vertically and/or horizontally
  Finally, atmosphere–ocean–sea ice global climate models solve the full equations for mass and energy transfer and radiant exchange.
  Box models can treat flows across and within ocean basins.
  Other types of modelling can be interlinked, such as land use, allowing researchers to predict the interaction between climate and ecosystems.
context_section_description: Numerical climate models use quantitative methods to simulate the interactions of the important drivers of climate, including atmosphere, oceans, land surface and ice. They are used for a variety of purposes from study of the dynamics of the climate system to projections of future climate.  Climate models may also be qualitative (i.e. not numerical) models and also narratives, largely descriptive, of possible futures.
  Quantitative climate models take account of incoming energy from the sun as short wave electromagnetic radiation, chiefly visible and short-wave (near) infrared, as well as outgoing long wave (far) infrared electromagnetic. Any imbalance results in a change in temperature.
  Quantitative models vary in complexity:
  A simple radiant heat transfer model treats the earth as a single point and averages outgoing energy
  This can be expanded vertically (radiative-convective models) and/or horizontally
  Finally, (coupled) atmosphere–ocean–sea ice global climate models solve the full equations for mass and energy transfer and radiant exchange.
  Box models can treat flows across and within ocean basins.
  Other types of modelling can be interlinked, such as land use, allowing researchers to predict the interaction between climate and ecosystems.
caption: Climate models are systems of differential equations based on the basic laws of physics, fluid motion, and chemistry. To “run” a model, scientists divide the planet into a 3-dimensional grid, apply the basic equations, and evaluate the results. Atmospheric models calculate winds, heat transfer, radiation, relative humidity, and surface hydrology within each grid and evaluate interactions with neighboring points.
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