Model Hierarchies for Understanding Atmospheric Circulation
Maher, PL; Gerber, EP; Medeiros, B; et al.Merlis, TM; Sherwood, S; Sheshadri, A; Sobel, AH; Vallis, GK; Voigt, A; Zurita-Gotor, P
Date: 10 April 2019
Journal
Reviews of Geophysics
Publisher
American Geophysical Union (AGU) / Wiley
Publisher DOI
Abstract
In this review, we highlight the complementary relationship between simple and comprehensive models in addressing key scientific questions to describe Earth’s atmospheric circulation. The systematic
representation of models in steps, or hierarchies, connects our understanding from idealized systems
to comprehensive models, and ...
In this review, we highlight the complementary relationship between simple and comprehensive models in addressing key scientific questions to describe Earth’s atmospheric circulation. The systematic
representation of models in steps, or hierarchies, connects our understanding from idealized systems
to comprehensive models, and ultimately the observed atmosphere. We define three interconnected
principles that can be used to characterize the model hierarchies of the atmosphere. We explore
the rich diversity within the governing equations in the dynamical hierarchy, the ability to isolate
and understand atmospheric processes in the process hierarchy, and the importance of the physical
domain and resolution in the hierarchy of scale.
We center our discussion on the large scale circulation of the atmosphere and its interaction with
clouds and convection, focusing on areas where simple models have had a significant impact. Our
confidence in climate model projections of the future is based on our efforts to ground the climate
predictions in fundamental physical understanding. This understanding is, in part, possible due to
the hierarchies of idealized models that afford the simplicity required for understanding complex
systems.
Mathematics and Statistics
Faculty of Environment, Science and Economy
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