1. Introduction; 2. The world's first climate model; 3. The forecast factory; 4. Taming chaos; 5. The heart of the machine; 6. The well-equipped physics lab; 7. Plug and play; 8. Sound science; 9. Choosing a future; References; Index.
Accurate climate models have existed since the 1800s. Learn how these models have developed – and why we should believe them.
Steve M. Easterbrook is Director of the School of the Environment at the University of Toronto, where he teaches courses on environmental decision-making, systems thinking, and climate literacy. He received a Ph.D. in Computing from Imperial College London in 1991. In the 1990s he served as lead scientist at NASA's Katherine Johnson IV&V Facility in West Virginia, where he worked on software verification for the Space Shuttle and the International Space Station. He has been a consultant for the European and Canadian Space Agencies, and a visiting scientist at many climate research labs in the US and Europe.
'Numerical climate models are a critical tool for assessing the
threat posed by climate change and investigating the options
available to mitigate that threat. Yet, an understanding of these
models-how they work, what they tell us, and how their tested and
validated-has remained evasive for all but the most math and
physics-literate. In Computing the Climate, computer scientist
Steve Easterbook takes us on a journey through the world of climate
modeling, making the science accessible to lay readers, and showing
us why we should trust the models and heed their warnings, before
it's too late.' Michael Mann, University of Pennsylvania, author of
The New Climate War
'Computing the Climate provides an impressively detailed history of
how climate models evolved from simple equations calculated by hand
to giant programs running on supercomputers. Avoiding jargon, this
book explains to a general audience how the laws of physics and the
principles of software engineering are combined to build climate
models.' R. Saravanan, Texas A&M University, author of The
Climate Demon
'Computing the Climate takes a unique look at the history of
computational modeling the Earth's climate system, the processes
represented in these models, their evaluation, and how they are
being used to project the potential changes in the future of our
climate. When combined with more detailed analyses of concurrent
issues being addressed in these models such as cloud and convection
processes, this would be an excellent book for a university course
on climate modeling.' Don Wuebbles, University of Illinois
'I teach several courses in climate change and climate modeling for
general and specialized audiences, and I am so excited to
incorporate this new text by Easterbrook into those classes. While
climate models are derived from first physical principles, climate
models are developed by people and communities. I think that this
book's approach of the tracing of revolutionary ideas and herculean
efforts by generations of scientists to develop deep understanding
and predictive capability for weather and climate does the topic
justice. The logical progression of concepts, chapter by chapter is
excellent as is the extensive, but not obtrusive, referencing
throughout. Many difficult concepts, including: the greenhouse
effect, chaos and predicability, computational instability,
parallel computing, the difference between predictions and
projections, are explained very well and accessibly. This book will
be compelling reading both for students and people who simply want
to know more.' Matthew Huber, Purdue University
'Easterbrook's non-technical survey of climate modeling uniquely
expands the climate change genre. Students will benefit from its
broad scope and equation-free conceptual explanations, and climate
modelers will appreciate its historical approach linking nineteenth
century experiments and ideas to twenty-first century
breakthroughs.' Baylor Fox-Kemper, Brown University
'This is a very readable personal account of climate model
development throughout history. It focuses on several individuals
and modeling groups/countries. It often refers to 'you' and 'we'. I
learned a lot and enjoyed the book, and I recommend it to anyone
faced with making decisions involving the future climate.' Kevin
Trenberth, University of Auckland, author of The Changing Flow of
Energy Through the Climate System
'This engaging, beautifully written book brings alive the
scientists who created climate models, how they did it, and what
the models can (and cannot) tell us - all in straightforward,
nontechnical language and enlightening illustrations. If you want
to understand how modern climate science works, start here.' Paul
N. Edwards, Stanford University, author of A Vast Machine: Computer
Models, Climate Data, and the Politics of Global Warming
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