10-Minute Museum: Climate Crisis Mathematics
This is a travelling museum you can visit in only 10 minutes. You learn how mathematical models help us understand global warming and predict changes in the climate.
General Circulation Models (GCM)
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Contributor: Cameron Beccario
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On the initiative of the Cluster of Excellence Mathematics Münster, IMAGINARY’s 10-Minute Museum complements the special exhibition “The Climate” at the LWL Museum.
Photo by Werkstatt für alles
General Circulation Models (GCM) are the most precise tool we have to assert that climate change is a reality. GCMs are detailed models of the whole Earth, divided into many small cells of just a few kilometers’ width.
The models are initialized using current values of pressure, humidity, and temperature in each cell. Future values are calculated using numerical simulations of physical laws (such as the Navier-Stokes equations).
Mathematicians are continuously improving these models. This makes them more comprehensive and accurate. Complex processes are included in the calculations, such as carbon cycles, interactions between cloud droplets and aerosols, etc.
