Today’s generation of climate models are typically run at resolutions that cover the globe with a 256 by 128 longitude/latitude horizontal grid or about a 1.4 degree latitude-longitude grid at the equator.

An experimental version of the CCSM CAM3 was run at a resolution much more similar to a global numerical weather prediction model (1024×512 grid points which is 0.35 degree global grid increment) where the solution was sampled hourly for an entire year. At this resolution, fine scale, transient systems such as hurricanes and typhoons become visible – something that is not seen in lower resolution experiments.
The Research Effort

The Community Climate System Model (CCSM) is a coupled climate model for simulating Earth’s climate system. Composed of four separate models simultaneously simulating the earth’s atmosphere, ocean, land surface and sea-ice, and one central coupler component, the CCSM allows researchers to conduct fundamental research into Earth’s past, present and future climate states.

The Community Atmosphere Model (CAM) is the latest in a series of global atmosphere models developed at NCAR for the weather and climate research communities. CAM also serves as the atmospheric component of the Community Climate System Model (CCSM).

The CAM 3.0 is the fifth generation of the NCAR atmospheric GCM. In contrast to previous generations of the atmospheric model, CAM 3.0 has been designed through a collaborative process with users and developers in the Atmospheric Model Working Group (AMWG). The AMWG includes scientists from NCAR, the university community, and government laboratories.

CCSM is sponsored by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). CCSM is a project within the Climate & Global Dynamics Division (CGD) of the Earth and Sun Systems Laboratory (ESSL) at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR).

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Expert: Charlie Neese
Contact: www.charlieneese.com
Bio: Charlie Neese is an Emmy Award-winning television meteorologist and severe weather safety expert based in Nashville, Tenn.
Filmmaker: Dimitri LaBarge

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Offered by Stanford’s Continuing Studies program, this course will last five weeks, and include a debrief after the presidential election. Each Wednesday, we will post a new recorded lecture on YouTube.

Geography of US Elections Course Website:

http://geog05.stanford.edu/

Join the Discussion:

http://geog05.stanford.edu/?cat=15

Stanford Continuing Studies:

http://csp.stanford.edu/

Stanford Channel on YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/stanford/

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The main greenhouse gases are methane, carbon dioxide, and water vaporGlobal warming has been directly attributed to the hole in the ozone layer which is causing the heating up of the earths atmosphere from the sun. This is commonly referred to as the greenhouse effect. It is said that if the hole in the ozone layer continues to grow, global warming could accelerate quite dramatically. This is why many countries have come together and signed agreements to cut down on fuel emissions into the atmosphere and use various other forms of energy that are safe for the ozone layer.

Other causes that are considered to be contributing factors to the increase in the temperatures of the atmosphere are volcano eruptions since the mid 20th century and solar variations. Global warming will have other effects on the world as we know it, and as one part of the climate changes, so other changes will occur. The average temperature of the earth has increased dramatically in the last decade or so, and as the temperatures get warmer, so the sea level will rise causing a difference in the amounts of precipitation that occur. This could mean that extreme weather conditions will develop like excessive storms with heavier rainfall and others. There is also expected to be slower summer stream flow, a difference in agricultural growth and harvest, as well as certain extinction of animal and plant species.

Most of the major scientific institutions blame the greenhouse effect and the greenhouse gases for the increase in global warming. The main greenhouse gases are methane, carbon dioxide, and water vapor. While water vapor and methane are not present for very long in the earths atmosphere, carbon dioxide can remain in the atmosphere for many years and when combined with the water vapor can escalate the rate at which global warming takes place. What happens is that the carbon dioxide increases the potency of the short term water vapor that is evaporated, which in turn causes more warming, and the cycle continues. This is the feedback effect and the only way to stop global warming is to remove the carbon dioxide that is present in the atmosphere already and definitely not add more to it.

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http://www.fco.gov.uk/4degrees

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